Chronicles of Gallifrey Book One - Waters of Earth
by CrazyFanGirl18
Summary: Sofia McCartney has always wanted her boring life to change. When she meets the Doctor and Jamie McCrimmon she soon gets more than she bargained for as the trio find themselves in a race against time to save the Earth's people from an alien invasion.(Set after the events of The War Games) Author Note: I do not own the Doctor, Jamie or the Zygons. Reviews would be appreciated
1. Chapter 1

_The Doctor stared unhappily at his two friends. He held his hand out to Jamie who – to the Time lords' surprise – was struggling to keep back tears,  
"Goodbye Jamie,"  
"But Doctor surely we can't just…"  
"Goodbye Jamie," the Doctor said more firmly. Jamie sighed despondently and nodded to himself,  
"I'll never forget you, you know,"  
At this small remark the Doctor's two hearts sank as he knew what would happen when his companions returned home. Still he put on a brave smile,  
"And I'll never forget you," he turned to his other friend,  
"Goodbye Zoe,"  
Zoe's face would have suggested she didn't care about anything that was happening. But the Doctor knew better and could see the sadness in her eyes,  
"Will we ever meet again?"  
The Doctor smiled and placed his hands on her shoulders,  
"Again? Now Zoe, you know that time is relative."_

_His two companions stepped away and the Doctor risked a quick glance at the other two Time lords. He stood up a little taller before pulling his two friends into a hug. As the trio embraced the Doctor slipped a silver bracelet into each of his companions hands,  
"Whatever you do don't take it off until you get home," he whispered, "and don't let them see you with it either,"  
As they separated both Jamie and Zoe hurriedly slipped the bracelets on. The Doctor smiled as the Time lords led his friends towards the teleport that would send them home. Jamie and Zoe turned round to wave and the Doctor gave a little wave back before his two young companions entered the machine and were gone forever. The Doctor clapped his hands and rubbed them together – much to the amusement of the other two Time lords who were now walking towards him. The tallest bowed his head,  
"Come Doctor. The time has come to hear your sentence,"  
"Oh yes very well," the Doctor nodded back and made to follow the two Time lords. However he suddenly spun round on his heel and ran full pelt towards the Tardis. The Time lords made no attempt to follow him as both were under the impression that the doors wouldn't be able to open. However the Doctor pulled a small black whistle shaped object from his pocket and held it in the air for all to see. The faces of the Time lords fell,  
"Stop him!" the tallest shouted. However it was too late as the Doctor blew into the object and the doors to the police box swung open to allow him in. _

_Once inside the Doctor wasted no time. He flicked the switch that controlled the doors before hurriedly pressing buttons and switches at random. As the central cylinder began to move up and down he dared to breathe a small sigh of relief. However it was only when half an hour had passed without any trouble did the Doctor hope that the Time lords weren't trying to follow him. Normally he would clap Jamie on the shoulder and give Zoe one of his many enigmatic smiles. However, as he looked around the empty control room, his smile slowly vanished as he realised the Tardis was missing two people. He whispered a silent prayer that both had kept the bracelets on – otherwise he would have to waste a lot of time with storytelling. He moved round the console with ease as he wondered how best to go about finding his two friends. He knew from experience that if he tried to be too specific then the Tardis would normally end way off course (around 100 years and over a thousand miles normally). So instead the Doctor decided to simply pick the planet and the year and see where that led him._

_After much debate the Doctor finally settled on where he was going first. He pressed all the right buttons and as the Tardis began its flight he wondered what sort of reception he would get. He checked the Tardis controls once more to check on his much hoped for destination._

_Earth 1745._

_Jamie McCrimmon sat down by a small river and placed his head in his hands. When he had realised he was back home he wasn't quite sure what to make of it all. The fact that he was in the same clothes and had the same hair made him a little uneasy. Whilst it was great to be back home his heart panged for the Doctor and the Tardis._

_The Doctor! The Tardis!  
Jamie couldn't explain it. But when he had thought of the Doctor and the Tardis his head suddenly became all dizzy. He looked down at the silver bracelet he was still wearing. The Doctor had told him not to take it off until he was home. Whilst Jamie trusted the Doctor with his life he wasn't sure if he should remove the bracelet until the Doctor told him to. If Zoe were here then she would no doubt say he was being a goody._

_Zoe! Victoria!_

_As the names flew around his head Jamie had a strange feeling that the memories he had; shouldn't be there at all. He could remember each and every bit of his travels with the Doctor and each person and monster he had encountered. Ben, Polly, Cybermen, Daleks, Ice Warriors, Dominators, Yeti, everything. Yet somehow he felt as though he shouldn't be able to remember any of it. Jamie ran a hand through his hair - which had suddenly grown back to the length it was before he left – and tried to work it all out. He was no genius but something was telling him that the Time lords had something to do with it all. It did make sense after all. He picked up a small stone by his foot and threw it into the river,  
"Why can't the Doctor be here to explain it all?" he muttered crossly,  
"Yes well I did have some trouble getting here Jamie,"_

_Jamie's whole body froze as he heard the Doctors voice behind him. With one hand on his claymore he slowly turned round to find the Doctor standing there in his usual frock coat and check trousers with a great big smile on his face. Jamie broke into a grin,  
"Doctor!"  
"Jamie!"  
The two greeted each other warmly and the Doctor chuckled at the bracelet,  
"Trying out a new look Jamie?"  
"Well I didn't know what would happen if I took it off so…"  
"Nothing will happen Jamie. That bracelet stopped the Time lords from using their memory blocks on you on Zoe. With any luck you should be able to remember everything that happened since you left,"  
Jamie nodded although he was angry at the Time lords for trying to mess with his head. As he slipped the bracelet off and handed it to the Doctor the thought of the Time lords brought another thought into his mind,  
"But what about ye Doctor? Did they find ye innocent?"  
The Doctor grimaced, "Not quite Jamie. I never actually made it to the trial because I…uh…"  
Jamie grinned, "Escaped?"  
The Doctor nodded and Jamie frowned, "So why are ye here then? Lost control of the Tardis,"  
The Doctor ignored that last comment,  
"As a matter of fact I'm here for you,"  
"Me?"  
"That is if you want to travel with me," the Doctor added as he noticed the surprised look on the lads face. _

_Jamie thought it over for a minute,  
"If you want to stay Jamie," the Doctor said quietly, "I know this is your home after all,"  
Jamie nodded before shaking his head,  
"Not much of a home anymore. Besides…someone has to keep ye from getting killed,"  
The Doctor patted him on the shoulder,  
"Splendid Jamie,"  
As the pair headed away from the river; Jamie's heart skipped a beat when he saw the Tardis. The Doctor unlocked the door and headed inside. Jamie took one final look at Scotland,  
"Oh and Jamie?"  
The Doctor popped his head out again,  
"You need a haircut,"  
Jamie rolled his eyes before following the Doctor into the Tardis. _

_Fortunately there fields were empty and so no one was there to see the sight of a twentieth Century police telephone box suddenly disappear from sight._

Chapter One

Alan Jenkins removed his cloth cap from his head, wiped his brow and then put his cap back on again. He was getting on for eighty years old yet he reckoned he had more energy in his old bones than most of Stormere's population altogether.

Otherwise he wouldn't be making his way up the local fell to try and find out what was going on with the weather.

As crazy as it sounded he knew that nature held the key to answer most of the questions about the world. But of course this new generation were too bust checking everything on their phones to pay any attention to a man that had lived through WWII, fought in the Falklands war and had had enough experience of living in the Lake District to know that there was more to the fells than just climbing them. They held clues to why the weather changed as it did and how certain creatures had evolved over the years. Alan took a swig of water from a bottle before forcing himself over a small rocky section. He wasn't as breathless as he should have been but he still had to sit down and rest for a few minutes. Even he couldn't deny he wasn't getting any younger. He rubbed the small of his back as he felt his joints ache slightly,  
"Bloody arthritis," he muttered. He'd had it for a few months now and he had a funny feeling this would be the last time he went on a climbing trip.

Alan had loved climbing the fells as a child. He and his older brother would spend their weekends and school holidays walking on them and playing all sorts of games. When his brother had gotten too old to hang out with his little brother Alan and his friends had used the fells for their own games and – when they were teenagers – places to take girls on dates without interruptions. Alan and his wife Joan had met whilst walking on the fells and had taken their children climbing as well. They would have taken the grandchildren as well. However, Alan's son James moved down south and his other son died in a car crash before he and his wife could have any children. So in the end it had just been Alan and Joan spending their retirement walking along the less adventurous paths. However, what Alan was looking for would require a lot of heavy climbing work. Fortunately he still had his old hiking gear in the attic and when he had heard that the heat wave was to last another few weeks he had grabbed his rucksack and set off for the river that ran down from the fell towards the village.

Alan had set off with the energy of a school boy. However, now he was sitting down he was beginning to feel his age catch up with him. He looked out at the view,  
"Never stops' being beautiful does it?"  
Alan was no artist. However, the sight of the rolling fells and the misty sky had always stayed imprinted in his mind. The sight of the village of Stormere looking so insignificant against the hills seemed to sum up humanity's place in the world. No matter how advanced technology became, nature would always be more powerful than the human race could ever hope to become. He turned away from the view – he had seen it enough times – and forced himself to get up. His boots gave him good grip on the rocks but he was still a little giddy even on the village roads so he decided to take his time,  
"Slow and steady wins the race,"  
It was a race really. He wanted to beat his age and prove that he still had it in him. And even though he only needed to get to the waterfall, part of him wanted to make it all the way to the top. However, he knew he was getting ahead of himself. He needed to get to the waterfall and once he was there he wouldn't need to go any further.

The name Storm Falls conjured up images of a great cascading wall of water hundreds of metres high. In reality it was nothing of the sort. Whilst it wasn't just a trickle of water Storm Falls was just a few metres of water that fell from inside the fell, into the river and towards the village. Stormere got most of its water supply from the river and had done for centuries. Alan eventually reached the falls and when he did he had to sit on one of the rocks that were by the river. As he filled up his water bottle he began to notice something about the river. It had never been the biggest of rivers. But right now it was little more than a trickle. Alan wondered if this was due to the dry weather. But then he remembered the drought a couple of decades ago. It had been drier than the weather was now. And the river hadn't been this bad. He looked up at the waterfall to find it was in the same condition as the river – a mere trickle.

Alan left his water bottle and his rucksack and began to climb up towards the mouth of the waterfall. The rocks weren't even wet as he had expected – the waterfall must have been like this for a while. He eventually reached the mouth – it was big enough for a man to stand up in – as the second he did so the waterfall burst into life.

Water flew from the rocks as if it had been brought back from the dead. Alan had to make sure he didn't get drenched as the he watched the water fall into the river which was soon looking like its glorious self once more. Deciding that it must just be some strange environmental thing, Alan slowly climbed back down to retrieve his things. As his feet touched the ground he took one last look at Storm Falls before grabbing his rucksack and water bottle. His body wasn't going to thank him for that little climb and Alan knew his joints would hurt tomorrow. As he watched water fall from the mouth of the waterfall he gasped as a bright light shone from the mouth. As it did so the water became nothing more than the trickle it had been a few minutes ago. The light shone for a little bit and Alan was sure he had heard a humming sound coming from the light.

His curiosity hadn't weakened with age – in fact it had gotten worse. Alan shrugged off his rucksack and climbed back up towards the mouth. This time he got on his hands and knees and slowly stood up once he was inside. He gingerly touched the walls of rock that were around him before taking a small torch from his pocket and letting it shine down the mouth of the waterfall. All traces of the light had gone now but Alan could still here the humming. The tunnel seemed to go on forever and he decided to hedge his bets and see what was down there. He reasoned that something must be making the waterfall act the way it was. His first few steps were slow and hesitant. Alan didn't mind admitting he was scared that a wall of water was going to come round the corner and kill him. However, after a few minutes he forgot that fear and began walking at normal speed. The humming was slowly getting louder and as he turned the corner it was almost deafening. Alan dropped the torch as he put his hands over his ears.

As he did so something very dark and very big stepped in front of him. Alan's mouth dropped and his hands fell to his sides as the thing in front of him began to move forward – forcing Alan backwards. As the thing raised an arm Alan caught a glimpse of razor sharp talons covered in a sort of slime. As the creature reached for him Alan knew this would be the last time he went on a climbing trip.

Matt hit his palm against the tap in frustration – then hugged his bruised hand to his body. This was the fourth time the tap had failed to start. Matt knew the plumbing system at work wasn't the best; it was old and would need fixing soon. But this was just ridiculous; four times in two weeks. After another failed attempt to get the tap working he gave up and moved to the sink next to it. He hoped he would have better luck with this one. It had been put in a few months ago when Matt had complained that the old sink was filthy and, well just old. The boss had argued with him but Matt couldn't help it. The sink was driving him crazy and in the end his OCD won and a new sink was put in with Matt being told it was now his responsibility to keep it clean.

He tried the cold tap first. When nothing happened he gritted his teeth and tried the hot tap. Again, nothing happened. He stared long and hard at the taps. If he was at home he wouldn't have been that bothered; he could just go out and buy a drink. But working in a grocery shop meant that things got dirty. Those things would then need cleaning. A job that had suddenly become impossible without any water.

Matt didn't get it. He wasn't a trained plumber but surely a brand new sink would still work after a few months? He removed his hat from his head and wiped his brow. Normally he always wore the hat no matter what the weather. His work mates often laughed at him for it – in a nice way that is. However, the weather outside was too hot and in the back of a small shop it was becoming unbearable. Matt had never moaned at sunshine. Living in the Lake District meant that rain and damp were the usual sights to see, so if there was ever any sign of hot weather people would usually celebrate. Only for the past couple of months the whole of Europe had been experiencing the hottest and driest summer on record. According to the radio Scotland had temperatures as high as the mid-thirties and places like Italy and Spain were even hotter. Matt fanned himself with his hat and was tempted to give up on the taps and hide out in the fridge he was leaning against. He doubted the fruit and veg that were already there would mind,  
"Matt? Mattie?"  
Matt sighed at the voice coming from the shop. Mr Jim Andrews, shop owner and manager was normally one of the nicest people living in Stormere. However, the heat had made him grumpy and irritable. Matt chucked his hat on the shelf over the sink – he couldn't wear it in this weather – as Jim came up to him,  
"That bucket of water isn't going to run itself y'know,"  
Jim was a tall man in his early forties. He had only opened the shop a few years ago after the previous owner retired and he had hired Matthew Lloyd straightaway,  
"We need young people like you working," he had said, "Might show the rest of them that you need to work if you want to succeed in life,"  
Matt had been nineteen then and had simply nodded as Jim went on about the lazy, good for nothing youth of today,  
"You see Matt, in my day I was working by the time I was fourteen. I was a delivery boy for my local grocers. I'll tell you something as well. I got paid a dam sight less than what I'm paying you today,"  
"Yes Mr Andrews," Matt had replied. Jim laughed,  
"Call me Jim. This is hardly a corporate business lad. Just a village grocery store. No need for the formalities,"  
"Yes Mr Andrews…sorry, Jim,"

Just over six years later Matt was still working with Jim along with three more people: Sara Wright and Colin Brown who both helped out on Saturdays and the occasional afternoon, and Sofia McCartney who worked with him during the week. All three were his friends and were younger than him by only a year or two at the most. He looked at Jim,  
"Well the taps won't work. I've tried all of them,"  
Jim frowned at him then at the taps, "They don't work?"  
"I've tried all of them," Matt repeated. Jim nodded and looked at the newer sink. He fiddled with the hot water tap before banging the top of hit with the flat of his palm. As if released from some sort of prison, water came rushing from the hot water tap. Jim smiled at Matt and shoved a bucket under the running water,  
"There you go, problem solved,"  
"Thanks,"  
"Just because Sofia isn't coming in today doesn't mean you get to give her everything to do tomorrow,"  
Matt opened his mouth until he realised Jim was having a joke. He nodded and chucked some bleach in the bucket. Jim went back to the shop, whistling, as Matt grabbed his water bottle and tried the cold tap.

Again it was like magic. Water came from the tap as if it had always worked perfectly. Matt filled his bottle then turned to put it in the fridge for an hour or so. The weather was getting warmer; he was sure of it, so he wanted to make sure he had a good supply of cold water. However, he knew what Sofia was like. He'd hidden her shoes on top of the highest shelf. After forcing him to retrieve them she had promised her revenge. Matt took the bottle from the shelf and hid it in the far corner of the fridge – behind a box of apples. Inside the fridge was brilliantly cool and he wanted to stay in there all day. However, after a lot of talking to himself he got out and turned his attention back to the bucket. Knowing his luck he would end up with too much water after spending almost half an hour trying to get a tiny bit to come out. When he had enough he grabbed the bucket and took it into the shop – forgetting to turn the tap off.

As he headed into the shop he didn't look behind him. Meaning he didn't see the water go from a miniature waterfall to a mere trickle before stopping completely?


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

It was only 10:30am yet it felt like midday in the Sahara.

Sofia McCartney looked up from behind her dark ray bands at the glaring sun streaming down on her. Lying on her back in the middle of a large – and surprisingly comfortable looking rock – she pushed up her vest to allow her stomach to get a well-deserved tan. As tempted as she was to put her i-pod on the sound of birds and the rushing water from Storm Falls was enough to relax her. Shutting her eyes Sofia lay her head back. She could stay here for as long as she wanted, she didn't have to work today. She could go to sleep and nobody would mind. Sofia allowed the soothing sound of the waterfall to lull her into a light sleep.

Only she couldn't hear any water.

Sofia opened one eye and looked over to her left, in the direction of the waterfall. Only a second ago her eyes had been filled with the constant stream of running water. Now all she heard was silence. Pushing herself up onto her elbows Sofia crawled away from her lovely tanning spot and looked again towards the waterfall. There was no mistaking it. She couldn't hear a thing. Curiosity getting the better of her – as usual – she slung her purple rucksack onto her back and made her way towards Storm Falls. Her hiking boots were great for treading on the broken sticks although brambles scratched at her bare legs. However Sofia wasn't bothered about that. She wasn't going to cover her legs in this sort of heat.

Her little rest spot was only a mile or so away from the waterfall. In the summer months Storm Falls was a hit with tourists. Not only did they pass it when out walking but it often appeared in the work of photographers and artists. Sofia herself didn't get why people were so in awe over it. It was just a waterfall. But then she had lived in Stormere all her life. The waterfall was nothing special, just part of the landscape. Standing at the foot of Storm Falls Sofia found that she couldn't see any water gushing down from above. The stream that led from the falls was now little more than a trickle. Moving her hands along the rocks that lined it Sofia discovered they were as dry as a bone. Frowning she looked up at the falls. Shifting her rucksack slightly, Sofia was now determined to find out what was happening. Someone had clearly thought it would be funny to try and block the waterfall up to see what happened. Sofia would have cursed the idiots but she knew that a few years ago the chances of her doing something similar were extremely high. Flexing her fingers she grabbed onto the rocks above her head and using her full upper body strength she pulled herself up. She had been climbing rocks like this for years. Honing her muscles and becoming fitter meant that she sometimes felt far more at home on the top of a large rock face than in her own bedroom back in the village. A slight breeze whipped at her hair and she brushed a few stray strands away from her face as she continued her climb – thankful she had stuck with boots and not sandals when she had left the house this morning.

Sofia pushed herself up from the rock and into the mouth of the waterfall. Despite the daylight coming in behind her she could only see a few feet in front of her. Pulling out a small pocket torch she shone the light around the walls of the cave. She soon got a shock when she saw how dry the walls were. She had heard people – tourists mainly – saying how the waterfall had been drying up but she hadn't really believed them. When some people had claimed the waterfall was completely dry she had laughed about it with her friends. Only now she was here and seeing it with her own eyes did she realise those people had been telling the truth. The waterfall really had dried began walking forwards and she shone the torch down by her feet. Even though the waterfall had dried she expected to be walking in puddles or at least some sign that water had once been here.

But no. She saw no puddles, no slithers of water. Nothing at all. It was as if this had never been a waterfall.

Sofia bent down on one knee and brushed her hand over the ground.

Bone dry.

She opened up her bag and pulled a small torch out. Sofia couldn't remember why she carried a torch with her. Or a small medical pack. She just did. In case of emergencies. Flashing her torch in front of her she got up and carried on walking. At least it was nice and cool inside the cave compared to the heat outside. Sofia wondered if the long heat-wave had done this to the waterfall. After all it was happening all over the world according to the news and it was the logical explanation for the dried up river. Yet Sofia didn't believe it. This waterfall had been fine a few days ago. It couldn't have dried up this much over a period of a couple of days. She turned round and saw the entrance to the cave was roughly fifty metres away. Even with the torch light she was struggling to see what was in front of her. Then she heard a faint sound. Sofia stood stock still as she heard it again,  
"Hello?" her voice echoed throughout the cave and she was met with silence. Breathing deeply, Sofia took a few tentative steps forward and froze as she saw something in the light.

A figure was lying on the ground. Sofia swallowed nervously,  
"Are you okay? Excuse me but are you alright?"  
The figure didn't move and Sofia would have gone to see if they were unhurt when she heard something else moving towards her. She was torn between running and staying to see if the figure on the ground was okay. However, when she heard a low rasping noise she did neither. Instead she froze and slowly looked up to see what it was. The cave was so dark she could only see the outline of the creature. However, it was enough to make her see that whatever it was it was huge.

Huge and dangerous.

Sofia began to back away slowly. She switched off the torch in the hope that whatever it was would go away. The creature continued its raspy breathing and now that she was in almost complete darkness she could see it had glowing white eyes. Shoving the torch in her pocket she turned and sprinted for the end of the cave. As she ran she looked along the walls for a crack or space for her to hide in. However they were all far too small and she decided she would have to simply climb her way to escape. The raspy breathing was getting closer to her now and she could hear footsteps as well as her own. She didn't bother looking round – she knew she was being followed and she was being followed closely. Breathing hard she put on one final burst of speed as the cave vanished behind her and she was greeted with the site of the town and the surrounding fells. When she looked behind her she saw nothing and she wondered if whatever had been following her had decided to forget the chase. Yet something in her brain told her that wasn't so. Either way she wanted to get away.

Sofia calmed herself before grabbing hold of the rock face with her hands and – making sure she was facing the wall of rock – stepping out onto any available foothold. Sofia looked up and down. Going up was the faster way yet going down would put a bigger distance between her and whatever was in that cave. Deciding to go for speed rather than distance she began to make her way up. It was slow going as the hand and footholds were less frequent up here and she wondered if she should backtrack and go down instead. Sofia took a deep breath. She was being silly now. She was panicking over nothing. Whatever she had seen in that cave wasn't something to be afraid of. It was no doubt a dog or something that had gotten lost. Whatever it was she knew that someone was in that cave who might need help. She had to get back to Stormere as quickly as possible. Keeping that thought in her head she carried on her climb. As she did so she heard voices coming from the top of rock face.

"Hey would ye look at that! Do ye think we're in Scotland Doctor?" the voice had Scottish accent and Sofia pressed herself against the rocks as the other voice spoke,  
"I'm not quite sure Jamie,"  
"Well it looks like Scotland to me,"

Sofia didn't know what the two people were going on about. However, she knew they might be able to help her. She went to carry on climbing when she felt something grab her round the ankle. She looked down but couldn't see anything. She tried to pull herself free but the thing round her ankle tightened its hold and yanked down hard. Her hands slipped from the rock she was grabbing and Sofia shouted out as her leg scraped along the rocks. The voices above her had gone and she wondered if they were still there. She kicked out at whatever was holding her ankle. Her kicks became frantic as she realised she now only hanging on by her fingers which were slowly but surely losing their grip on the hand holds. She hit her ankle against the rock face and grinned as the grip on her ankle left. However, her victory was short lived as she found she couldn't find any footholds and her fingers were only a few millimetres away from the edge of the rock. She tried desperately to hold on and find a better grip but it was no use. Her fingers had no strength and they slipped from the rock.

As they did so strong hands grabbed hers.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

Sofia shut her eyes as she fell.

Only she wasn't falling. Instead she was just gently swaying in the air as something pulled on her outstretched arms. She looked up and saw a tough looking lad about her age and with dark hair leaning over the top of the rock face and grasping hold of her hands. He gritted his teeth,  
"I don't think I can hold on Doctor!"

As he tried to pull Sofia up another man joined him in leaning over. This one looked a lot older and also had a mop of untidy black hair. He took hold of one of Sofia's arms and – with the help of the boy – they both began to pull her up. As she was being lifted Sofia's feet found foot holds and she began to regain her footing and climb up. When she reached the top both men let go and she half collapsed at the top. Taking a few deep breaths she looked up. The older man was dressed in a black frock coat and checked trousers. The younger one wore a thin shirt and a kilt. Sofia stood up,  
"Bit far from Scotland aren't you?"  
"Oh aye don't bother to apologise," the young lad began. Sofia checked herself,  
"Sorry. And thank you. Thank you very much," she stuck her hand out,  
"Sofia McCartney,"  
The lad nodded and shook her hand, "I'm Jamie McCrimmon. McCartney? Are ye Scottish?"

Sofia nodded, "About one, one hundred and twenty eighth…I think. It's something crazy like that. My great, great, great, great, great grandfather was a Jacobite apparently. And I've got some Irish and French blood as well – I'm a real mongrel,"  
Jamie noticed the pride in her voice as she said this, "This is the Doctor,"  
The older man - the Doctor - watched her, "You know you really should be more careful when climbing,"  
"I was being careful! I've been climbing rocks like that since I was a kid,"  
"Ahh yes. Well, even professionals can make the mistakes, "said the Doctor – not unkindly. He motioned to her leg,  
"Are you alright?"  
Sofia looked down and saw her leg was bleeding. She nodded, sat down and took a small tin from her rucksack. As she began to clean the blood she was aware of both men watching her. Sofia quickly wrapped a small bandage round her leg as the Doctor stared at her,  
"I wonder if you could tell me where and when we are?"  
"When?"  
The Doctor nodded, "If you wouldn't mind?"

Sofia shook her head, "You're in the Lake District," she pointed to the town, "That's the town of Stormere; my home. Down there where I was climbing should be Strom Falls,"  
"Should be?" the Doctor frowned slightly, "What's the date today?"

"20th September 2014" Sofia was a little confused by the question  
"What were ye doin down there anyway?" asked Jamie as he helped her up,  
"Checking out some rumours,"  
"What sort of rumours?"  
"Tourists were saying the waterfall had dried up,"  
"Had it?" The Doctors eager face reminded Sofia of when she was a child at Christmas. She nodded,  
"I went inside the mouth of the waterfall. It was bone dry. It was like it hadn't been a waterfall for years and…" she shuddered slightly,  
"What is it?" asked Jamie. Sofia eyed him carefully,  
"There was something in that cave. Some sort of…creature. I couldn't really see it properly,"  
"Might have been a dog or something like that," the Doctor pointed out. Sofia shook her head,  
"It looked huge. And its eyes…they were glowing!"

Both men looked at each other before turning back to Sofia who shook her head,  
"I'm not lying and I didn't imagine it either. I couldn't have. When I was climbing back up it grabbed my ankle and tried to pull me down,"  
"Are ye sure you didn't just slip?"  
"Something grabbed at my ankle," she insisted, "It tried to pull me back into the cave and…." Her eyes widened,  
"The cave!"  
Both the Doctor and Jamie stared at her. Sofia turned to the Doctor,  
"Did you say you were a Doctor?"  
"Yes well…I um…"  
Sofia took the Doctors arm,  
"There was a man. In the cave. I think he was hurt,"  
Jamie nudged the Doctor and winked at him. Calling yourself the Doctor was bound to lead to situations like this. The Doctor sighed at Jamie and followed Sofia to the edge,  
"Down in the cave you say? And how do we get down?"  
"Well you can climb down that way,"  
The Doctor nodded unhappily, "Any other way?"  
"Well if you walk along that path to your right you'll eventually come to the bottom of the waterfall where you'll have to climb up,"  
"Right, yes I see," the Doctor pondered for a minute and Jamie was getting frustrated,  
"Look Doctor, if someone's hurt then we need to get down as fast as possible,"  
"Yes of course you're right," the Doctor nodded to Sofia, "After you my dear,"  
She nodded and went to climb down when Jamie stopped her,  
"Ye better let me go first. Just in case there is a beastie lurking down there,"

Sofia nodded and Jamie began to climb down. Fortunately; living in the highlands meant climbing was like a second nature for him. In no time at all he was standing in the mouth of the waterfall. He looked round and saw that Sofia was right. The ground and the walls were bone dry and as he turned round and looked down the rest of the rock face he could see that there was no water at all. Everything was completely dry. He turned to see Sofia making her way down and he grabbed her by the waist and helped to pull her in,  
"There you go lassie,"  
"Thanks. The Doctor's on his way,"  
Both looked up to see the Doctor slowly making his way down,  
"Not a natural climber is he?"  
Jamie chuckled, "Och the Doctor has his talents. However, this doesn't seem to be a strong one,"  
Sofia began laughing as the Doctor joined them. He brushed down his coat,  
"Now then. When you're quite finished can you show me where this man is please?"

Sofia handed him her torch and pointed into the cave. The Doctor headed off followed by Jamie and Sofia. As the trio headed deeper into the cave Sofia wondered if the creature was still lurking. Every little movement put her on edge and she almost jumped out of her skin when the Doctor spoke,  
"Over there!"  
The man lay perfectly still. As the Doctor shone the torch over him Sofia gasped,  
"It's Alan!"  
"Ye know him?"  
She nodded at Jamie, "He went missing a couple of days ago,"  
Jamie turned to see the Doctor bent over the man. He knelt down beside him,  
"Is he alright?"  
"I'm afraid he's dead Jamie," the Doctor pointed to Alan's face. As Jamie looked he thought he might be sick. He shakily got to his feet,  
"What is it?" Sofia made her way forward and Jamie tried to pull her away,  
"I don't think ye gonna want to see this Sofia,"  
"Why? What's happened?" Sofia pushed the Scot away and looked at Alan. As the torchlight fell onto his face she screamed. Jamie turned her away,  
"I did tell ye," he said. Sofia nodded and looked back at Alan's body. Or at least, what was left of it.

Jamie led the shaking Sofia out into the fresh air. As the sun hit her face she leant against the rocks. Jamie looked at her in concern,  
"Are ye sure ye're alright?"  
She nodded, "It was just…just the shock of it," she looked up at Jamie with tears in her eyes,  
"I've known him all my life. He was the nicest man in the world…would never hurt a fly,"  
Jamie nodded in understanding before putting an arm round Sofia. As he did so he turned his head to see the Doctor wiping his hands on his trousers as he joined them,  
"Yes yes," he muttered, "Horrible business that,"  
Sofia wiped her tears and faced the Doctor, "What happened to him?"  
The Doctor glanced warily at Jamie. Wondering if he should tell Sofia the truth. Sofia caught the look between them and she frowned,  
"I'm not a child. I'm nineteen and I've just seen someone I've known for years lying there dead. Now you're going to tell me what happened to him?"  
The Doctor smiled at her. Like a child's smile almost. He clapped his hands,  
"Very well. That man back there…"  
"Alan," Sofia interrupted, "His name was Alan,"  
"Yes yes of course," the Doctor clarified, "As I was saying. It seems to me that whatever did kill Alan was something very large…and very dangerous,"  
The words hung in the air for a second before Sofia shook her head  
"Impossible. The only animals round here are sheep and goats,"  
"What about a dog?" Jamie suggested. Sofia nodded,  
"It's possible I suppose,"

However the Doctor shook his head,  
"No, no, no. Whatever killed Alan was big. Bigger than him almost," he looked over at Sofia,  
"Do you know any dogs of that size,"  
She shook her head and the Doctor nodded, "Exactly. No whatever creature killed the poor man…" he looked over at the two people in front of him,  
"It isn't from Earth,"


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four

Sofia looked at the Doctor as though he had gone mad,  
"Isn't from earth! As in, alien?"  
The Doctor nodded and Sofia looked over at Jamie. To her surprise he looked as though he had expected the Doctor to say this. Sofia shook her head,  
"You're insane. Both of you! It can't have been an alien!"  
"Why not?" The Doctor didn't seem annoyed that she was contradicting him. Instead he seemed like he was genuinely interested in her opinion. Sofia looked down at her feet,  
"Well…aliens don't exist do they? There are no green men living on Mars?"  
The Doctor shrugged, "Yes well…"  
Sofia rolled her eyes, "Can you just be serious! A man's died!"  
"Hey don't start shouting at the Doctor," Jamie interjected angrily. Sofia looked from one to the other. Both of their faces were completely serious. The Doctor seemed to sense her confusion and he gently said,  
"Just because you haven't seen an alien doesn't mean they don't exist you know,"  
"I know that," Sofia didn't know how to word it, "It's just…well if they did exist I'm pretty sure we would know something by now. It's the 21st Century!"  
The Doctor shook his head sympathetically, "it's wonderful how hu…how we think we're so advanced isn't it?"

Sofia frowned over his slight stumble but ignored it for the time being. Both the Doctor and Jamie _did_ seem to believe that it was aliens who had killed Alan. Shutting her eyes and sighing dramatically she looked at the Doctor,  
"I'll probably regret this but….why do you think it's an alien,"  
The Doctor clapped his hands before heading back into the tunnel,  
"Come on!" he shouted. Jamie was soon heading in after him but Sofia hesitated. If she went back in she would have to look at Alan's body again. Swallowing the lump in her throat she took a few nervous steps forward before she heard the Doctors voice,  
"Come on Sofia!"  
Pushing down her fears Sofia headed back into the darkness of the tunnel. She reached for her torch, only to remember that the Doctor had it. He had now switched it back on and Sofia could see him shining at the ground beside Alan. Making sure she kept her eyes away from Alan's face Sofia knelt down beside the Doctor who was pointing at something on the ground,  
"Now then," he said triumphantly, "Do you know of any animal on earth that makes those marks."

Sofia followed his pointing finger. Now she had the help of the torchlight she could see that the ground next to Alan was covered in small, circular marks. To Sofia they looked like,  
"Sucker marks," she said out loud. The Doctor nodded at her,  
"But I thought it was only octopus's that made those marks?" Jamie said. The Doctor nodded,  
"Indeed Jamie," he got to his feet and was about to brush himself down when he looked at his tatty coat and shook his head,  
"But they live in the sea," he said pointedly to Sofia who was busy looking at the marks again. She glanced at the Doctor as they began to make their way out of the tunnel,  
"Okay so some strange creature killed Alan. But an _alien_?"  
"Do you have any other ideas?"  
Sofia shook her head and the Doctor clapped her on the back as they found themselves back at the entrance to the tunnel. The Doctor leaned over the edge to try and work out the best way down whilst Sofia noticed Jamie staring into the tunnel,  
"What is it?" trying to sound sensible instead of scared. Jamie stayed exactly where he was before shaking his head and turning round,  
"Och it's nothing. I thought I heard something but…"  
He walked past Sofia and followed the Doctor who seemed to have found the best route down. For a split second Sofia cautiously made her way towards the mouth of the tunnel and listened carefully. At first she thought she could hear a low humming noise. But then she shook her head. She was just imagining things. Turning round she followed the Doctor and Jamie down the rocky path and towards the village.

Stormere village was a bit of a contradiction. Whilst it had officially been called a village for over two hundred years, recent decades had seen it grow to the size of a small town. At the same time a person walking through the streets couldn't help but feel they were in a small Victorian country village. All that was missing was the costumes. The Grocery shop was technically one of the oldest buildings, although it had been redecorated several times over and was almost unrecognizable. Matt stood outside, struggling to bring the grocers bike into the shop. Although it was a perfectly serviceable bike it's only purpose was to stand outside the shop and add effect. Matt blew strands of damp fringe from his forehead and muttered to himself as the sun bore down on his back. The bike was always a nightmare to put away no matter what the weather was. His hand slipped and banged against the handlebars. Matt bit his lip. He had a good job here, the last thing he wanted to do was moan but…well it's not like Jim ever offered to bring the bike in.

"Hiya,"  
Matt looked up at the sound of the voice. His face split into a smile as he saw Sofia standing in front of him. He gave her the best smile he could manage,  
"Hi. Don't suppose you would care to help?"  
She rolled her eyes good naturedly, "Jeez Matt. It's not mission impossible,"  
"With that she took the bike from his hands and expertly rolled it into the shop before shutting the door on it. She squinted at him and Matt moved out of the sunlight. It was only then that he noticed to two men standing behind him. He looked them up and down. The first was dresses in a kilt with dark hair that fell over his forehead. The other was the smallest of the group and his whole outfit looked like it needed a good wash. However, Matt couldn't help smiling at this man who seemed to be bouncing up and down like a small child. He turned to Sofia,  
"I take it they're with you?"  
"Oh right. Sorry," she stepped forward, "Matt this is Jamie," she pointed to the man in the kilt, "and the Doctor," she indicated the other man who waved at Matt. Matt looked at Sofia in confusion. He opened his mouth but stopped when he saw the look on her face,  
"What is it?"  
She shook her head before bursting out, "It's Alan. He's dead,"

The words hit Matt like a bullet. He turned on the two men,  
"Did you do it?" he hissed. His eyes glinted dangerously and he moved forward, fist raised. However he felt Sofia pull him back,  
"No they didn't do anything Matt. It was those two who found him,"  
"Oh," for a second Matt looked ashamed. The Doctor patted him on the arm,  
"I'm sorry about him,"  
Matt nodded before kicking at the wall in frustration. He looked over at Sofia,  
"Sorry. It just hasn't been my day. First the taps were playing up again, now this!"  
He looked up to see the Doctor frowning at him  
"Taps? What's happened to the taps?"  
Matt shrugged, "I don't know. Ever since we've had this ridiculously hot weather they haven't worked properly. Sometimes water comes out like normal, other times it's a trickle and sometimes not at all."  
"I see," the Doctor muttered. Matt saw Jamie roll his eyes,  
"Come on Doctor. How can taps have anything to do with this?"  
"They could have everything to do with it Jamie," the Doctor replied. He pointed to the door,  
"I take it you work there?"  
Matt nodded and the Doctor smiled before pushing the door open and heading inside. Jamie was soon behind him and as Sofia followed Matt shook his head in wonder. He'd known the Doctor for a grand total of three minutes and he was already barging into his life. And the strange thing was that Matt didn't actually mind. There was something about the Doctor that just said _you can trust me. _Shaking his head Matt followed the trio inside, making sure to shut the door behind him.

The back of the shop was far too small even for two people. So how all four of them managed to fit round the sinks was a mystery to Matt. It helped by the fact that half of the Doctor's body was hidden from view as he examined the plumbing and both Matt and Sofia were sitting on top of work surfaces. Jamie meanwhile was staring all around him in wonder. Matt wondered if he had even seen the inside of a grocers shop before. However these two were, Matt could tell they weren't local, in fact he doubted if they even came from any part of the Lake District. The boy was clearly Scottish and as for the Doctor…Matt couldn't quite put his finger on it but there was something…odd, about him.

Something a bit…out of this world.

Matt shook his head as the Doctor pushed himself out from underneath the sink. Wiping his hands on his handkerchief he allowed Jamie to help him to his feet before looking at Matt with a grave expression,  
"I'm terribly sorry," he said, "But there's absolutely nothing wrong with that sink at all,"  
Matt frowned at him,  
"That can't be right. It doesn't work. Look I'll show you,"  
He moved past the Doctor and turned the tap. As he had expected only a slight trickle came from the tap before bursting into a sudden rush of water and then stopping completely. Matt looked over at the Doctor,  
"See, it doesn't work,"  
The Doctor shrugged, "Well there's nothing wrong with the actual plumbing itself," he stood aside, "Take a look for yourself if you don't believe me,"  
For a second Matt considered doing just that. After all, this Doctor had never actually said he was a trained plumber. But then Matt took another look at the man endearing face and he sighed,  
"I believe you Doctor. I just don't get it,"  
"No," the Doctor said gravely, "Neither do I."  
"Well," Jamie interrupted, "Now that we've got this sorted can we…"  
The Doctor shook his head, "No Jamie. We haven't got anything sorted. Far from it in fact," he beckoned to Matt to follow him as he headed back through the shop and out into the street.

Matt could hear Jamie and Sofia following him but his attention was fixed on the small form of the Doctor squatting down on the pavement to point at something in the ground,  
"Look down there," he whispered. Matt bent down next to him as Sofia and Jamie squatted in front of the Doctor,  
"What is it?" Matt whispered back. He wasn't sure why they were whispering as the street was completely empty. The Doctor pointed to a strange circular mark on the pavement. Matt saw Sofia's mouth drop,  
"But…that's like the one we saw back at the waterfall!"  
"Indeed Sofia," the Doctor nodded, tracing the outline of the mark with the stub of an old pencil,  
"The question is. How did it get there?"


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five

The screen covered almost the entire wall. In front of it lay a long control panel that looked like rotten coral. Buttons, levers and switches covered the panel and to the outside eye it was like they had _grown_ onto the panel instead of being manufactured. It was at this panel that the creature stood. In the dark light of the room its skin blended against the dark green walls that also looked like they were rotting. The creature reached out a hand that had five fingers that ended in small suckers. Suckers and nodules protruded up its arms, legs and back whilst its thick head joined directly onto its muscular shoulders giving it a grotesque appearance. Its eyes remained focused on the screen as it flicked a switch to change the image. After scanning through images of the village and the surrounding area it caught sight of something and hurriedly scanned back through the images before settling one it's chosen one.

A large image of two men standing outside the village grocery shop was projected on the screen. The creature hissed, baring it's small, sharp fangs, as the younger man began talking,  
"It doesn't make any sense Doctor,"  
"Doctor!" The creature rasped, glaring at the screen. The older man turned round to his friend and smiled,  
"Not at the moment Jamie, not at the moment,"  
The creature turned round awkwardly for the lack of neck meant that it had to move its whole body,  
"Bronx!"  
A glass door on the other side of the room slid upwards to reveal another creature. As it strode forward its larger size and bulk alone singled it out as the leader. It glanced at the smaller creature,  
"What is it Commander Kelik?"  
Kelik indicated towards the screen, "He is here. The Doctor is here!"  
"The Doctor!" Bronx shouted. He pushed Kelik roughly aside and grasped the control panel, staring up at the screen with pure hatred,  
"Doctor," he breathed, "Your appearance has changed yet again."  
He watched as the Doctor pulled a small black book from his pocket and began rifling through the pages. Bronx hit a button and the Doctor's voice could be heard echoing through the control room,  
"Let me have a look Jamie," the Doctor looked again at the ground before turning to his notebook,  
"Ahh,"  
Bronx hissed as the Doctor looked at his friend,  
"That looks like the mark of a Zygon,"  
"Doctor!" Bronx brought his fist down on the controls and the screen flickered before moving on to another part of the village. Kelik took several steps back as Bronx turned round and glared at him,  
"His appearance may have changed but his meddling has not!"  
Kelik remained silent as his leader paced around this room,  
"This…Doctor has foiled our race twice already. I will not allow it to happen a third time," Bronx fixed his small eyes on Kelik,  
"The Doctor must die!"  
Kelik allowed himself a grin that did nothing to improve his brutish face but then he shook his head,  
"The Skarasen is not yet fully functioning. There were some…malfunctions when we landed. It's too weak to…"  
"Then you will fix it!" Bronx advanced menacingly towards Kelik, "We cannot afford for the Doctor to interfere in our plans. He must die! And soon!"


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter Six

Matt forced his Land rover into second gear as the vehicle trundled across the open moors that surrounded the village. Winding his window down, Matt leant one elbow out as the thin breeze ran through his hair. He had both his sunglasses on and the vanity mirror but the sun still shone directly into his face. Spinning the wheel Matt's body rocked as he felt the wheels drive straight over the rocks that jutted out of the ground. The high grass meant it was almost impossible to see them whether you were on foot or in a car. Matt sighed to himself as he thought about the past hour. When the Doctor had been flicking through his little black notebook Matt had been so busy focusing on the strange marks outside the shop that he hadn't heard the Doctor mention aliens at all. Only when Sofia had cleared her throat did he look up and realise that both the Doctor and Jamie were in deep conversation about some sort of creature called a Zygon. Matt had thought the pair crazy at first,  
"Listen Doctor. I've got a good sense of humour but this isn't funny,"  
"Just hear him out Matt," Sofia snapped. Matt looked at her,  
"You mean you believe all this rubbish?"  
"Yes," her blunt reply had shut him up fairly quickly and Matt turned back to the Doctor,  
"Aliens? As in actual aliens?"  
The Doctor nodded, "Although _why_ they are here is another question altogether,"  
""Maybe they fancied a bit of sightseeing?" Matt rolled his eyes. He'd been into aliens and UFO's when he was younger, but now he found it hard to believe in little green men from Mars. The Doctor shrugged.  
"Maybe they crashed," Jamie had suggested. The Doctor nodded thoughtfully,  
"Maybe. Although I wonder if it's a coincidence,"  
"What is?" Jamie had looked hard at the Doctor and Matt found himself wanting to know what the Doctor was going to say next. The Doctor tapped his chin thoughtfully,  
"Well is it a coincidence that aliens land on earth and then the weather starts changing?" he asked allowed. Sofia shrugged,  
"Global warming,"  
"What?" Jamie frowned. Matt rolled his eyes,  
"Pollution. Climate change. Rising sea levels," he explained. Jamie nodded,  
"Oh aye that,"  
As the Doctor began talking Matt had begun to feel as though he was being watched. He peered over his shoulder but all he saw was the figure of Henry, the landlord of the local pub, 'The Sun'. Although Henry wasn't actually looking at him Matt could have sworn that the man's gaze was fixed firmly upon the Doctor.

Matt sat back in his seat as he calmly drove on. He'd needed this drive in order to clear his head and he was too lazy to want to walk anywhere. Besides, he'd get a lot farther by driving than walking and he had never shared Sofia's love of outdoor activities. Pulling the handbrake up and switching off the ignition back pushed open his door to let more cool air in. Rummaging around in his coat pocket he brought out his phone and checked the time. It was only 1:30 in the afternoon but Matt could have sworn it felt later. He was just putting his phone in his pocket when he saw something on the horizon. It was a fair distance away but Matt could tell that whatever it was, it was limping. Jumping down from his car he swung the door shut and began making his way after the creature,  
"Hey!" he got no reply and he tried again, cupping his hands round his mouth, "Hey!"  
However the creature carried on and was soon disappearing from sight. Matt began picking up his pace and as he strode through the fields his hands brushed against the grass. To his shock he found it was coarse and snapping off in his hands. Matt rubbed a small strand between his fingers before letting it crumble to the ground. If this hot weather didn't end soon…

Matt soon found himself gaining on the creature and as it came into view again he drew in a sharp breath. It was like nothing he had ever seen before. For a start it was huge with four thick legs that looked like trees. Matt gaped at the long neck and tail that swung lazily through the air. He removed his sunglasses and rubbed his eyes,  
"First aliens. Now dinosaurs," he muttered with a shake of the head,  
"This is just getting ridiculous,"  
For a second Matt wondered if this was all some elaborate joke that this Doctor had concocted. It certainly made far more sense than having actual aliens' right next door. And yet despite his doubts Matt couldn't help but trust the Doctor. There was something about his face, his tatty cloths and messy hair that just made people want to trust him. Yet if the Doctor was in fact right, then the creature Matt had been following was real. Real and dangerous. The best thing for Matt to do would be to go to the village. Go to the village and find the Doctor. He would know what to do. Yet Matt's feet kept moving forward as if by their own accord. Gritting his teeth Matt carried on after the creature as the gradient began to change and he found himself heading down hill. Looking up Matt found that he had lost sight of the creature completely. But that wasn't what was bothering him. He hadn't realised quite how far he had driven out and as he looked at the lake ahead of him he found himself facing Wastwater – the deepest lake in the country.

Matt groaned. Of all the places for an alien creature to hide then this would be it. Leaning back slightly to avoid toppling over he carefully made his way down the now rockier path and out onto the sandy ground that met up with the dark and uninviting water. Matt looked up at the mist in the sky. It covered the top of the surrounding fells which people claimed were the same height as the depth of the lake itself. Staring at the water Matt found it to be worryingly still and peaceful and for a second he wondered if this strange creature was even hidden in the lake.

Assuming he had actually seen an alien creature and his eyes were not just playing tricks on him. Matt wouldn't have put it past himself to have caught sunstroke.

As he paced along the shore line however, Matts gaze was drawn to something in the ground. He bent over it and gently brushed away some of the broken bits of grass that had been swept across it. Water lapped against his trainers but Matt didn't notice as he stared at the set of giant footprints before him. Bigger than anything he had seen with four clawed toes. Getting shakily to his feet Matt looked back out at the lake, his eyes now trying to see some sign that there was a creature under the water. A set of ripples, or air bubbles would have been enough to convince him. But the silent waters were giving nothing away and Matt's heart began beating furiously against his chest,  
"The Doctor," he muttered to himself, "I need to get the Doctor,"  
Taking one last look at the giant footprints Matt turned round to leave.

Bronx stared hard at the screen. Staring at the young man examining the footprints left by the Skarasen. Bronx growled,  
"Kelik!"  
Kelik entered the control room,  
"Yes Bronx?"  
"You cursed fool!" Bronx rasped, his voice dripping with anger,  
"You allowed the Skarasen to walk across the field!"  
"We needed to test its physical levels sir," Kelik explained but Bronx roared him into silence,  
"It was seen! The Skarasen was seen by a human!" Bronx pointed to the screen and Kelik followed his gaze,  
"What harm can one mere human do?"  
"It can do all sorts of harm!" Bronx sprayed spit all over Kelik who remained still as his leader paced up and down,  
"This boy has gotten a good look at it. It will not take him long to run back to the village and alert everyone. Including the Doctor."  
Turning his back on Kelik, Bronx bared his teeth as he flicked a switch. The screen changed and this time all he could see was the dark, murky depths of the lake. Bronx pressed another button and this time a high pitched, regular beeping sound could be heard coming from inside the ship and from the screen. The Zygon curled its fist as the head and neck of the Skarasen moved forward onto the screen, its eye constantly moving as if on the lookout for danger. Bronx grinned as he spoke into a small microphone that hung on one end of the screen,  
"Kill the human male,"  
The Skarasen bared it's razor sharp fangs before moving away from view.

Behind him Matt could feel the water getting rougher as it furiously lapped against the backs of his legs. His nose pricked at the distinct fishy smell that had just entered the air. As the airs of his arms and the back of neck began to tingle Matt had a terrible feeling something was behind him. As he turned round his eyes widened as he saw a huge set of knife like teeth heading straight for his face.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter Seven

Matt turned to see the beast's mouth heading straight for him. Rows and rows of teeth like carving knives lunged for his face. Screaming Matt threw his arms up as though they would protect him from the creature. Water sprayed his body as he fell back and scrabbled backwards desperately. Daring to look up he saw a single reptilian eye fixed upon his face and Matt's blood froze in his veins. This was it. He was going to die. The creature snapped at the air in front of him – teeth millimetres away from Matt's skin. Looking up he could see that most of the creature was still submerged in the lake. Heart pounding Matt pushed himself backwards as the huge head loomed above him. Teeth bared for a second attack. Sweat dripped from Matt's forehead as he grasped the rocks behind him and pushed himself to his feet, stumbling further away from the creature that was now thrashing around, trying to get free from the bank it had beached itself on.  
"Oh my god," Matt's voice was so quite he could hardly hear himself. Looking at the creature up close caused his stomach to twist and turn inside him.

Although he could only see a head and neck Matt's breath was taken away by the sheer size of the beast. Its head alone was the size of a car and Matt didn't dare think about how big the rest of it was. It was big enough to hide in Wastwater - that was all he needed to know. The dark green skin reminded Matt of rotten seaweed and he gagged at the smell coming from the creature mouth. It was the smell of old blood. The creature thrashed about and when Matt saw the ground beneath it shift he backed away some more. He had no idea why he was trying to run. He'd seen this beast travel across open country. Even if Matt ran now the beast would be on him within minutes. However, as he looked closer Matt realised that instead of trying to free itself to kill him, the beast was instead trying to get _back_ to the lake. Throwing its head about, the beast howled as though it were in pain. For a second Matt wanted to go over and help it as though it were an injured cat or dog. But then he saw the knife like incisors and he backed away again as the beast's thrashing finally freed it from the bank. Matt held his breath as the beast fixed its eyes upon him. Getting ready to run he stopped breathing as the beast glared at him before sliding back into the water. Matt watched the ripples fade and the air bubbles vanish as the best submerged itself once more. For a second Matt did nothing but watch the lake, waiting for the beast to come flying at him again. But as the water became still once more he shakily leant against the rocks and almost collapsed to the ground,  
"Matt?"

Matt almost screamed as he looked up to see the small figure of the Doctor standing before him. Shutting his eyes and sighing in relief Matt forced himself to smile,  
"It's only you,"  
The Doctor frowned at him, "What's the matter?"  
If anyone else had asked him Matt would have made something up. He'd fallen over. His car had run out of petrol. Something believable. But looking up at the Doctor's concerned face Matt got to his feet and pointed out to the lake,  
"Something…there's something in the lake,"  
"Oh?" the Doctor turned round and – to Matts horror – headed towards the shore line. Acting on instinct Matt ran forward and pulled him back. The Doctor gave him a bemused smile and Matt suddenly felt rather foolish,  
"Whatever it is…it's huge. I mean seriously huge,"  
"I see," the Doctor mused, "And you saw this creature…when?"  
Matt stared at him,  
"I saw it when it lunged straight for me! Doctor it was going to kill me!"  
The Doctor laid a comforting hand on his shoulder,  
"What did this…creature look like?"  
Matt didn't need to think hard. He had been within touching distance from this creature,  
"Huge,"  
The Doctor nodded, "Yes I think we've established that. What else,"  
"Dark green skin. Like a reptile," Matt snapped his fingers, "It looked like one of those prehistoric sea monsters…what do you call them? A plesiosaur!"  
The Doctor's smiling face vanished in the blink of an eye and he stared hard at Matt,  
"Are you sure?" his voice quite. Matt nodded,  
"Trust me Doctor. It's not something I'm going to forget in a hurry,"

The Doctor nodded and began walking back up the rocky path. Despite his short legs he walked so fast that Matt had to jog to catch up with him,  
"So what is it then Doctor?"  
"Hmm?" the Doctor looked at him in confusion for a second before nodding,  
"Oh yes!" he looked at Matt carefully,  
"What you just saw Matt, was a Skarasen,"  
"A what?" Matt's eyes widened at the Doctor, "What the hell is a Skarasen?"  
"It's a cyborg," the Doctor replied calmly, "And it's the Zygons little pet,"  
"I'm not sure little is the right word," Matt muttered. The Doctor nodded,  
"Yes well…you know what I mean,"  
"But…" Matt's brain was still trying to work everything out,  
"Why exactly do these…Zygons…need a pet,"  
"Well maybe pet isn't the right word," the Doctor mused as he got out a small black book and flipped through the pages,  
"The Zygons need the Skarasen in order to stay alive. Without its milk they'll die,"  
"Well then," Matt said cheerfully, "Kill the Skarasen and we'll kill the Zygons. Two birds with one stone,"  
The Doctor looked at him unhappily, "We don't necessarily have to kill the Zygons you know. There are other ways of dealing with the problem than killing. Besides, Skarasens are virtually indestructible. Killing one is almost impossible,"

"Oh," Matt's small flash of hope vanished as quickly as it had come. As they reached his car the Doctor hopped into the passenger seat and waited expectantly for Matt to get in. Shutting the door and starting up the engine Matt realised for the first time since the Doctor had found him that the Doctor was alone,  
"Where are the other two?"  
"Oh their back at the village looking something up for me,"  
"Don't suppose you would care to elaborate?" Matt asked as he put his sunglasses on. The Doctor sat up a little bit more,  
"I've been wondering about this strange weather you've been having,"  
"Right…what about it?"  
"Well I can't help but feel that this weather and the arrival of the Zygons is somehow linked,"  
Leaning back in his seat the Doctor rested both hands on his chest and shut his eyes. Watching his peaceful face, Matt rolled his eyes as the Land rover trundled over the fields.

As he watched the Skarasen sink back to the murky depths of the lake, Kelik's eyes flashed dangerously. When Bronx found out about this failure… Kelik screwed up his fist and smashed it against the wall by the screen. He watched the eye of the Skarasen on the screen before the beast merged together with the dark water and vanished from sight. Behind him Kelik heard the door sliding open. He stepped aside to allow Bronx and another Zygon pass. Bronx eyed him closely,  
"Was the Skarasen successful?" his voice rushed through Kelik body and as he shook his head Kelik saw Bronx's eyes grow dark with anger,  
"How could this happen? Who is responsible for this failure?"  
He turned on the other Zygon who was standing beside him. Kelik was shocked to see the Zygon seemed almost terrified. Its legs were ever so slightly shaking under the intense glare of Bronx. The Zygon nodded,  
"The Skarasen still isn't fully functioning. It's far too weak to kill the human male,"  
"Once again the obvious is pointed out to me," Bronx snapped his fingers,  
"You will go into the village. Keep a careful watch over the Doctor. I want to know every move he makes," as the Zygon turned Bronx added, "And if the chance should arise…kill him."

The Zygon turned and left the control room as Bronx wheeled round to face Kelik who – unlike the other Zygon – faced him coolly,  
"Give us time. In time the Skarasen will be able to devour the whole stinking village,"  
"I DO NOT HAVE TIME!" Bronx bellowed. For an instant Kelik's hard demeanour gave way and he too found himself quivering under the rage of his leader. However he hurriedly composed himself and stood at his full height as Bronx moved over to another control panel and began to operate the controls,  
"Our plans cannot afford to fail," he snapped. Kelik nodded as the screen showed the two humans seen with the Doctor. The girl was using a scrap of paper to fan herself with and the boy had rolled up his shirt sleeves. Behind him Kelik heard Bronx laugh,  
"Let us see how these pitiful human cope when they are being baked alive by their own sun!"  
Unseen by his leader Kelik allowed himself to smile. Soon these humans would be dead. And if things went his way, so would Bronx.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter Eight

Jamie watched as Sofia threw herself into the armchair and began fanning herself with a bunch of papers. The Doctor had told them the pair of them to look up weather patterns for the past year whilst he "followed a hunch". Jamie had wanted to go with him but the Doctor had been insistent on him staying here. Looking down at the table which was now covered in newspapers Jamie still didn't really understand what it was they were looking for. He'd left Sofia to use her computer whilst he tackled the mass of paper. Sofia had offered him the use of the computer but Jamie had shaken his head. Coming from the middle of the 18th Century meant that his knowledge of technology was fairly small although his travels with the Doctor had allowed him to learn far more than he thought possible. However, Jamie didn't altogether trust computers. On their adventures he had come across far too many that had wanted to destroy the world. Besides, Sofia would be able to use the computer far quicker than he could have done.

Sure enough, after just twenty minutes of looking Sofia had shown him a chart of the world's temperature over the year,  
"Look at this. It's been steadily going up by just a degree or two,"  
Jamie looked at the screen. Although most of the information meant very little to him he could see that Sofia was indeed right. The temperature _had_ been rising ever so slowly for the past year,  
"So slow," he muttered, No one would have noticed,"  
Sofia nodded before putting the computer to one side and heading off to get some more water. As he heard the door shut behind her Jamie undid the top button of his shirt and wiped the beads of sweat from his forehead. He had never experienced hot weather like this before in his life. Usually the Scottish Highlands remained fairly cold all year round. Even on his travels with the Doctor the weather was generally nice and cool. Not this…hot and sticky weather. Looking up he saw Sofia standing over him with two large glasses of water. Jamie took the one she held out to him,  
"Thanks lass,"  
Sofia took a swig from her own before flicking through the paper that covered the table and the surrounding floor. Jamie looked at the mess,  
"Won't ye're parents mind all of this?"  
Sofia paused before shaking her head. Jamie could tell there was something wrong although he didn't want to pry. However Sofia answered for him,  
"They aren't actually my parents,"  
"Eh?"  
"They adopted me when I was ten,"  
"Oh," Jamie wasn't sure what to say next, "Where are ye real mum and dad then?"  
He could tell he'd said the wrong thing. Sofia turned away and wouldn't talk for the next half an hour.

The pub was fairly quiet for the time of day – with only a few people sitting round tables – and the Doctor managed to slip in without drawing attention to himself. As he looked around the Doctor strolled up to the bar where a tall and well-built man stood drying a beer glass,  
"What can I get you sir?" his northern accent was so thick the Doctor had to pause to work out what he had said,  
"I don't want a drink thank you,"  
The man behind the bar put his glass down and examined him,  
"Well if you don't want a drink then…"  
"I'm the Doctor. I'd like to speak to the landlord please. Providing he's available of course,"  
The man didn't return the Doctor's smile, "Aye well I'm the landlord. What is it you want?"  
"Well Mr…"  
"Henry Ford,"  
The Doctor smiled, "Oh… like the car maker!"  
Henry frowned, "Anyway, why did you want to see me?"  
"Err well…" the Doctor looked around. Everyone else was busy chatting to themselves and he was glad to see no one was paying attention to him Henry coughed quietly and he turned round,  
"Well we've been asking around the village and we've been told you're the one who knows everything about the area,"  
"Yes,"  
The Doctor frowned at Henry's cold attitude. He looked carefully at the man's eyes before deciding his best option would be to just explain why he was here before Henry got the wrong idea.

The Doctor gave him an impish smile,  
"You haven't seen anything unusual have you?"  
"Unusual?"  
"Well anything out of the ordinary," the Doctor clarified. Henry snorted,  
"The only thing unusual around here is the weather mate,"  
"Oh," the Doctor said with disappointment, "No large footprints, strange marks anywhere,"  
"No," Henry said quickly and coldly. He looked round the rub before lowering his voice,  
"Is this about that man they found dead?"  
The Doctor nodded sadly and Henry narrowed his eyes,  
"Why are you asking anyway? Are you the police?"  
"Oh goodness me no!" the Doctor shook his head,  
"No I err…I…heard about sightings of a strange beast,"  
"Let me guess. You're a UFO hunter," Henry couldn't keep the mockery out of his voice,  
"Aliens?"  
The Doctor smiled, "Well yes,"  
Henry shook his head and glared at the Doctor,  
"Shouldn't be asking questions like that around here,"  
"Oh..." the Doctor looked at him, "Why ever not?"  
"Well, people might think you're a bit crazy,"  
The Doctor shrugged, "They usually do anyway," he took another good look at the landlord. Something wasn't right here, he could tell. Pushing it aside for the moment the Doctor smiled,  
"Anyway, thank you for your help. Now if you could just point me in the direction of Sofia McCartney's house…"  
Henry glanced at him,  
"Sofia McCartney?"  
The Doctor nodded and Henry frowned,  
"What is it?" the Doctor asked. Henry sighed,  
"Let me guess. She told you she saw an alien and now she's got you trying to find it,"  
"Well she said she had seen something. But…" the Doctor didn't have a chance to continue because Henry cut him off,  
"Listen Doctor. She's having you on,"  
"Oh well I don't think…"  
Henry nodded fiercely, "All she does is cause trouble. If you ask me she should…"  
"Well no one is asking you Henry,"  
The Doctor turned round to see a middle aged man standing next to the bar. He was dressed in jeans and a shirt. Henry frowned,  
"All I'm saying Jim…"  
"You can't keep hating her for something that happened almost four years ago,"  
"Aye well. It wasn't your money was it?"

Jim rolled his eyes and invited the Doctor to join him. As he sat down Henry went back to cleaning glasses. The Doctor turned to Jim,  
"Is he always like this?"  
Jim shook his head, "I don't know what's gotten into him recently. He used to be so cheerful. Always had a smile on his face. Even when talking to Sofia. But recently he's been…closed off. Aloof,"  
The Doctor nodded, "And what was all that about Sofia?"  
"Henry and Sofia…they don't get on well,"  
"What happened?" The Doctor asked. He didn't know if he should be prying but at the same time his curiosity had now been roused. Jim sat back thoughtfully,  
"What do you actually know about Sofia?"  
"Well…not much," the Doctor said truthfully. Jim gave a sad smile,  
"Well, she was adopted see. Her parents were killed in a car crash when she was a kid. Didn't have any other family so she spent most of her childhood in and out of care until she was adopted." Jim ran his finger around the edge of his glass, "She's a good kid, just never had a chance. Fell in with the wrong crowd, went out partying and getting drunk. One night she crashed Henry's car into a wall and ended up in hospital,"  
"Ahh so that's why…" the Doctor realised, Jim nodded,  
"But she's okay now. Passed her exams, taking a gap year before going to University. You wouldn't think she was the same girl,"  
The Doctor sat back quietly and was aware of Jim watching him. The Doctor looked up,  
"How do you know Sofia then?"  
"She works for me," Jim smiled, "I own the Grocers on…"  
"Of course!" the Doctor snapped his fingers, "Yes I met another member of your staff. Matt?"  
Jim shook his head good naturedly, "Let me guess. He was going on about broken taps,"  
"Well…" the Doctor smiled and Jim patted his shoulder,  
"Yeah, I've got all sorts working in that shop it seems,"  
"Hmm," the Doctor took a deep breath,  
"Matt said you knew Alan,"  
Jim's smile faded, "Aye. We're best friends if truth be told,"  
"Oh…oh I'm sorry," the Doctor said. Jim shook his head,  
"You weren't to know Doctor," Jim said kindly, "Besides, it's not your fault he's dead...I swear when I find out who it was…"  
The Doctor cleared his throat, "About that…Alan's killer…I don't think it was human,"

Jim did a double take, "Not human?" he whispered. The Doctor nodded,  
"When I saw the…when I saw Alan," he paused. Not sure how to properly word his sentence,  
"The way he was killed…I don't think a human could have done that. Nor do I think it was a dog or some other sort of animal,"  
Jim frowned, "So…what is it you're trying to say? That Alan was killed by an _alien_?"  
The Doctor nodded and Jim looked hard at him. The Doctor braced himself for a mocking laugh or even an angry outburst from a grieving friend. However, to his surprise Jim merely nodded. The Doctor stared at him,  
"You believe me?"  
"You don't look like a crazy person to me Doctor. And I work with enough of them so I should know," Jim leaned across the table, "Besides, I overhead you and Matt talking just as I was coming in here. Matt's the most honest person I know. If he claims to have seen a giant alien monster then he's seen a giant alien monster,"  
The Doctor smiled gratefully, completely unaware that the landlord's eyes were boring into his back.

Henry put down the glass he had been cleaning and silently stepped away from the bar and through a small door. After making sure he was completely alone he bent down and retrieved a small grey control box from underneath a blanket. Pressing the top button his held it against his mouth,  
"The Doctor is preparing to leave with yet another human male. What should I do?"  
As he held the box to his ear the hissing voice of Kelik could be heard,  
"Follow them. Follow them and kill them." 


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter Nine

The pub was slowly emptying of people as Jim finished his drink and offered to walk back with the Doctor. As the pair left, both were unaware of Henry removing his apron and silently following them. As they got outside the Doctor shut his eyes and took a deep breath,  
"Just smell that fresh air!"  
Jim raised an eyebrow at the Doctor's childish expression before shaking his head,  
"We don't really notice to be honest Doctor,"  
"But this place is…well it's so fresh!"  
Jim laughed; a big hearty laugh that took the Doctor by surprise,  
"When you live somewhere you sort of take it for granted that it' the way it is really,"  
The Doctor's smile dampened just a little, "Yes," he said thoughtfully, "Yes I suppose you do."  
As they headed towards the centre of the village, the hairs on the back of the Doctor's neck began to stand on end and he had a feeling they were being watched. Not wishing to draw attention to himself he gently tapped Jim on the shoulder,  
"Let's go this way," he said brightly. Jim frowned at him,  
"But this way's much quicker,"  
The Doctor shook his head, "No, I think I'd rather like to take the more scenic route actually,"  
Jim opened his mouth and the Doctor sent him furious signals with his eyes as he tried to get the message across.

_We are being followed. _

Jim narrowed his eyes and for a split second the Doctor thought he was going to give the whole thing away. But as the shopkeeper gave the tiniest of nods the Doctor relaxed and followed Jim who began leading him away from the village and towards Storm falls. As their shoes flattened the grass beneath their feet the Doctor keen sense of hearing was starting to pick up another set of feet a few metres behind him and Jim. He shook his friend,  
"Hurry up," he whispered,  
"What's going on?" Jim asked and the Doctor quickly looked around before taking the man by the arm and turning a corner. Ducking down behind an uprooted tree the Doctor placed a hand over Jim's mouth and silently peeked out from their hiding place in the hope of seeing their pursuer.

For a few minutes nothing happened and the Doctor looked over at Jim to see that the man was bursting for an explanation. However he simply shook his head and made desperate hand gestures,  
_just be patient.  
_Jim seemed to understand and the Doctor removed his hand from his mouth. The pair then got onto their knees and looked out from behind the roots of the fallen tree to see a tall man standing with his back to them. The Doctor frowned,  
"It's Henry,"  
"Henry?" Jim craned his neck to get a better look and the Doctor instantly pushed him back down as Henry turned round. As the Doctor took another look at the man he was starting to get the feeling that something wasn't right with the pub landlord. For a start his eyes were far too dark for any humans. Also the way he walked and moved his arms. There was no flexibility to his movements. Henry almost moved like a wooden doll. The Doctor turned to say something to Jim when he caught something out of the corner of his eye. He watched as the unmoving man began to glow. The Doctor's eyes widened as his skin changed from flesh to a strange shade of green. His body grew taller and his hands became claw like. Suckers began to appear all over his body and his head was attached to shoulders instead of a neck. The Doctor froze as he now saw the bulky form of a Zygon stand where Henry had stood just seconds ago.  
"Oh…my…god!"  
The Doctor's head snapped round at Jim's croak of horror. The man's face had turned completely white and he was starting at the hideous creature. The Doctor gently reached out and patted his arm. Jim shook his head,  
"It just…killed him,"  
"No," the Doctor shook his head, "It didn't kill him."  
"But you saw it to Doctor. One minute Henry was there and then…"  
"That wasn't the real Henry," the Doctor tried to explain to the already confused and now very frightened man;  
"The Zygons are able to shape shift into people in order to blend into the surroundings. You'll find that Henry is still alive on their ship."

"How do you know that?" Jim's eyes stared at the Doctor pleadingly. The Doctor gave him his best smile,  
"Because the Zygon transformation will only last for a certain amount of time. Every so often they need to…" he searched for the right word, "Update, their look. They need to keep the selected human alive in order to do this,"  
Jim nodded before looking at the Doctor,  
"How do you know all of this?"  
The Doctor frowned. He opened his mouth when Jim clutched his arm in terror. Wincing slightly the Doctor looked up to see the Zygon had now turned and was facing the pair. Looking around the Doctor realised that their situation was hopeless – if they tried to move the Zygon would see them and be on them in an instant,  
"Oh…oh butterfingers," he moaned. Jim raised an eyebrow at the Doctors apparent defeat before giving him a witty smile. The Doctor watched as Jim's fingers curled around a fairly large rock. Making sure he stayed out of sight, Jim shuffled to his left and raised him arm. The Doctor smiled as the Zygons' head turned at the sound of the rock landing a few feet away. For a second it glanced around before turning round and lumbering off away from the pair. Jim nodded in satisfaction and made to rise when the Doctor grabbed his arm,  
"Wait," he whispered, "It might come back,"  
Jim froze for a few seconds when the Doctor grinned at him,  
"Well…that worked rather well I thought,"  
Jim shook his head as he and the Doctor clambered out from their hiding place and brushed the mud from their clothes. However, every so often Jim found himself staring in the direction the Zygon and waddled off in. The Doctor caught the glances and patted his arm,  
"Don't worry. It won't want to risk being seen in its true form. Come on,"  
The Doctor began to make his way back down the path with Jim close behind. Jims head was a whirl. He had seen an alien. A real alien! An alien that wanted to kill him and the Doctor.

Jim's smile faded at this and he reached out to the Doctor,  
"Err…Doctor?"  
"Yes?"  
"Exactly how many of these…aliens are there? Disguised as people I mean?"  
The Doctors face fell," I don't know," he mumbled sadly, "It's impossible to tell. It might just have been Henry. Or the whole village. There's almost no way of checking,"  
"But you knew Henry wasn't the real Henry," Jim hissed, "How?"  
"Well," the Doctor stopped walking and turned to Jim, "Small signs really. Maybe their behaviours has changed. Impersonators are nearly always far more cold and distant than the real thing,"  
The way the Doctor said this made Jim wonder how many alien impersonators he had seen. He went to say something else only to find that the Doctor was staring past him in horror,  
"Doctor…"Jim didn't need to ask what he had seen. He could smell the alien already. Shaking, Jim turned around to see the Zygon towering above him. Sunken eyes and small knife like teeth flew at him and Jim dived to avoid the monsters claws. Rolling on the ground he got to his feet in time to see the Zygons baring down on the small figure of the Doctor who had fallen back and was now holding his arms in front of his face in terror,  
"Oh…oh no!"  
The Zygon reached down to grab the Doctor by the coat. Fearing the worst Jim cried out and ran to help the Doctor. However, as he got close he saw the Doctor had grabbed the Zygons hand in his own and was pushing the filthy beast away from him. Hissing in pain the Zygon launched itself at the Doctor again. In panic Jim looked around for some sort of weapon. His eyes spied yet another large rock and as he picked it up – cursing at the weight of it – his blood froze as he heard the Zygon speak,  
"Now Doctor. Now you will die!"  
Putting all his strength behind it, Jim threw himself forward at the back of the Zygon. With a fierce yell he threw the rock at the Zygons head. The Zygons screamed at the impact and staggered backwards, clutching the back of its head in agony as blood began to pour from the wound. Jim ran to pull the Doctor to his feet as, with a final howl, the Zygon fell backwards.

Allowing the Doctor to take the lead, Jim kept a fair distance away from the dead Zygon. Even when the Doctor nudged it with his foot to be sure it was dead. Jim's hands shook and he grasped them tightly,  
"I've just killed an alien," he whispered. The Doctor looked up but didn't answer him. Instead he was staring at the Zygon in horror,  
"No!"  
Jim thought the Doctor was angry at him for killing the creature. Although, Jim reasoned, the Zygon had been trying to kill the Doctor and him so his actions were perfectly justified. However he saw that the Doctor was staring at the now glowing Zygon corpse. Jim's mouth gaped open,  
"What the…"  
Neither said anything as the body glowed a bright orange before vanishing without leaving a single trace of its existence. Only the small patch of blood gave any sign that something had been here. Jim rubbed his eyes – trying to convince himself that he had just seen an alien vanish before his very eyes. The Doctor looked up at him and – to Jim's surprise – he seemed equally shocked,  
"I've never seen that before,"  
Jim tried to smile, "I thought you knew about these creatures?"  
"Well yes," the Doctor ran a hand through his hair, "But last time I met them I never saw any do that,"  
"Oh," Jim decided it was best not to say anything. His head hurt already from trying to work it all out and he thought it was best not to further complicate matters,  
"Well…strange weather, a blocked up waterfall and now alien creatures," he smiled, "and people say nothing happens in the country,"

The Doctor looked over at him, his eyes as bright as a small child's,  
"That reminds me. This waterfall of yours. How long has it been blocked up for?"  
"Well…" Jim rubbed the back of his neck, "It's hard to say. For the past few years it's not been as full as it used to be. But only in the past eight months or so has it been completely dry,"  
"Right," the Doctor looked deep in thought. Jim however was now getting even more confused,  
"What exactly does the waterfall have to do with all this?"  
"It could have everything to do with it," the Doctor didn't sound patronising, but Jim couldn't help but feel like he was being treated as a small child. The Doctor smiled,  
"I think I know where their ship is."


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter Ten

Sofia shrugged her rucksack onto her back as she followed the Doctor and Jamie back up to Storm Falls. She and Jamie had given up looking through weather reports and had instead spent the past twenty minutes doing nothing except trying to keep cool. At first Sofia had been fairly quiet – the mention of her parents had rocked her a little bit. It had been so long since someone had asked. However she soon shook herself out of it. It hadn't been Jamie's fault after all. It's not like he knew it would upset her. Sofia could still tell however that he was curious and she had been considering telling him the whole story when the Doctor and Jim had burst into the room as though they were running for their lives. Sofia hadn't believed Jim at first and it was only when the Doctor assured her it was the truth did she sit back and rest her head on her knees,  
"But Henry wouldn't hurt a fly,"  
"Aye but it wasn't the real Henry," Jim snapped before shaking his head, "Sorry kid. I'm just…just tired,"  
The Doctor nodded in understanding and Sofia took a good look at Jim. He looked awful. Sweat dripped from his face and his eyes looked haggard and without his usual shine. Before he could protest she had propelled him into her chair and was pouring him a drink. Jamie meanwhile was busy asking the Doctor about the Zygons attack. As the Doctor provided the details Jamie shook his head,  
"I knew I should have gone with ye," he muttered. Sofia saw the Doctor raise an eyebrow and she smiled. Jamie seemed to revel in being able to say "I told you so." Before he could carry on with his take on a lecture, Sofia placed a gentle hand on Jamie's shoulder and faced the Doctor,  
"So there could be more of these Zygons…impersonating people,"  
The Doctor nodded and Sofia looked down at the floor in despair. When she was a little kid she'd always wanted an adventure of some sort in her life. They'd always looked so fun in films. Only now she was actually in one Sofia wasn't so sure. If she managed to get out in one piece she was going to complain to film makers about the false picture they created. She looked up to see the Doctor however was the only one in the room who was actually smiling. Jamie glanced at him,  
"How can ye be so cheerful?"  
"Because Jamie," the Doctor clapped his hands together, "I know where the Zygon space ship is."

This is how the Doctor, Jamie and Sofia ended up trekking back to where they had first met. Jim had insisted on coming but Sofia had just pushed him back into the chair,  
"You need to rest," she insisted. Putting on her best 'hospital matron' voice. Jim grinned at her,  
"Oh to be young again," he said wistfully. Sofia rolled her eyes,  
"At least you aren't going to be in thousands of pounds of debt,"  
Just as they walked out the door she said,  
"By the way. Matt's resting upstairs. I said he could come after being attacked by Nessie,"  
Jim nodded in acknowledgement as Sofia followed the Doctor and Jamie. She wasn't really mocking Matt. She just couldn't quite believe that there was a large sea creature living in the lake. Then again she would never have believed in shape shifting aliens either. Pushing her sticky hair from her forehead Sofia realised with a slight shock that they had already reached the waterfall. The heat from the sun was almost unbearable and Sofia didn't even want to imagine how the Doctor felt in his thick black coat. Looking around for a bottle of water she saw Jamie standing beside her,  
"How are ye?"  
"Worse than you most likely," she laughed, "You seem like this is natural to you. Chasing aliens and all that,"  
Jamie shrugged, "Aye I've seen a thing or two,"  
Sofia gaped at him slightly as he turned to join the Doctor who was now on his hands and knees and was crawling around on the floor. Every so often he put his ear to the ground before shaking his head. Sofia looked over at Jamie who was staring at the Doctor in utter bewilderment. Taking a final swig of water she shouldered her rucksack and joined the pair. Whilst the Doctor carried on crawling, Sofia saw Jamie rubbing his ears,  
"Can ye not hear it," he moaned. Sofia frowned,  
"Hear what?"  
"That wretched humming sound. It's driving me crazy,"  
"Humming?" The Doctor's head popped up sharply. He frowned at Jamie,  
"Did you say humming?"

Jamie nodded and the Doctor got back onto his hands and knees. Sofia meanwhile could also hear a small humming sound. She nudged Jamie,  
"I can hear it to," she muttered. Jamie nodded,  
"Annoying isn't it?"  
Sofia nodded. The noise seemed to be coming first from all around them and then from right underneath them. Getting down onto her knees she put her own ear to the ground. The humming was a lot louder now. Jamie watched as Sofia gently prodded the earth,  
"Doctor! Doctor over here!"  
As the Doctor knelt down beside her Jamie became even more curious,  
"Err what exactly are ye doing down there?"  
"The ground here seems a lot softer than the rest of the tunnel," Sofia prodded the ground behind her and then moved back to the original position. Shifting her rucksack off her back she rooted inside and brought out a small bottle of perfume,  
Jamie rolled his eyes, "Sofia I don't think this is the best time to be making ye'self, smell nice,"

She shook her head at him, "It's not for me Jamie,"  
she squirted it around the patch of earth she had been prodding. The Doctor shone the torch over the small patch and all three watched as the perfume disappeared into the ground,  
"Of course!" the Doctor got up and handed Jamie the torch, "It's a trap door. A trap door hidden in this very tunnel,"  
Jamie paused, "So this is the entrance to their ship,"  
"Apparently so," Sofia nodded, "But how does it open?"  
The Doctor frowned, "There must be a handle or something,"  
As Jamie stood over them with the torch both Sofia and the Doctor began to look for a way of opening the trap door. Sofia brushed her hand over the earth and they heard a low humming noise which was accompanied by the slow opening of the trapdoor. The Doctor patted Sofia on the back as the trapdoor opened. Jamie shone the torch down,  
"Doesn't look too far down. There's a sort of corridor!"  
"Let me see," the Doctor gently ushered Jamie to one side and looked down,  
"Now that is interesting,"  
Sofia grabbed her rucksack and stood at the edge of the trap door. The Doctor ignored her and sat down with his legs inside the opening,  
"Of we go,"  
He jumped down and both Sofia and Jamie heard a small, "Ow." As the Doctors feet hit the floor. Jamie handed the torch to Sofia,  
"Off ye go then,"  
She jumped down after the Doctor and when the corridor was clear Jamie jumped down as well.

It might have been a heat-wave outside but for Sofia, the corridor it felt like a sauna on full blast. She looked around and saw that the floor, walls and roof of the corridor were all made of a strange rocky substance. She gently reached out to touch it and flinched as her fingertips brushed over it,  
"They're hot! I mean, really hot!"  
"Yes well that doesn't surprise me," said the Doctor who was halfway down the corridor,  
"Hey Doctor?" called Jamie. The Doctor gave him a glance,  
"Yes?"  
"Well how do ye know that's the right way?"  
"Well that's simple Jamie. I don't," he carried off down the corridor leaving Jamie and Sofia to follow in his footsteps. The corridors were long and winding, with many twists and turns and pretty soon both Sofia and Jamie had lost all sense of direction and were relying on the Doctor to lead them down the right path. The passageways seemed to get darker the further they went on, only being lit by small; green lights that made the strange markings on the wall appear to move around. Despite herself Sofia stuck close to Jamie. He had more experience at stuff like this that she did. Realising they had stopped she moved round Jamie to get a better view of the Doctor kneeling by a square shape in the wall,  
"A ventilation shaft," he muttered, "How interesting,"  
The Doctor knelt down beside the ventilation shaft and examined the cover,  
"Doesn't look too hard to open. Bit small mind you. Not sure me and you Jamie would fit through it,"  
"Aye well we could have a go," Jamie knelt beside the Doctor and looked at the shaft,  
"Och it doesn't look too bad. I could fit through that if I wanted to,"  
"Yes maybe you're right," the Doctor said. Jamie knelt down, pulled a knife from his belt and tried to undo the screws,  
"Ma dirk's too big Doctor. Have ye got a screwdriver?"  
The Doctor was busy checking his pockets when Sofia fished a small knife from her own belt and passed it to Jamie,  
"Thanks,"  
Sofia left them to it and instead began looking down the empty corridor on the. She had seen no sign of any Zygons and now the Doctor and Jamie were both fiddling around with the ventilation shaft she had a horrible feeling that some would appear. She couldn't help wanting to leave. The heat was unbearable down here. She wanted to lean against the walls for support but they were so hot she would end up with a burnt back. As the others were unsuccessfully trying to open the cover to the ventilation shaft she saw a shadow at the far end of the corridor,  
"Something's coming!" she hissed. The Doctor quickly screwed the cover back into place and he and Jamie joined her. At the far end of the corridor they could see a Zygon slowly come into view. Sofia swallowed nervously,  
"What do we do?" she whispered. The Doctor indicated for them to move back down the corridor,  
"When I say run…run!"  
Jamie and Sofia nodded and all three turned and began to walk back the way they had come. The Doctor led the way,  
"Just act normal. Be casual and don't panic,"  
However, as he turned round he saw two more Zygons had come and all three were now walking towards the trio with haste. The Doctor's eyes widened,  
"Run!"

They ran. Sofia legs were on fire within minutes. She was a good long distance runner but the enclosed space of the corridors and the intense heat were not her idea of good running conditions. The Doctor was in front and Jamie was behind her; looking round every so often to see if they were losing the Zygons,  
"Hurry up Doctor!" he yelled,  
"Really Jamie!" the Doctor admonished, "I'm going as fast as I can. Now which way was it?"  
"What!" Jamie yelled. The Doctor shook his head,  
"Sorry. Temporary memory blank. This way."  
As they ran Sofia had a feeling that the Zygons were almost on top of them. She heard Jamie yelling at the Doctor and the Doctors cross replies. However she was far too focused on getting out alive than paying attention to the pair. Her heart soared as she saw the open trapdoor. The Doctor skidded to a halt and Sofia and Jamie ploughed into him. Looking back Sofia saw the moving shadows of their pursuers getting nearer. She looked up at the trapdoor,  
"How are we meant to get up?"  
Jamie gently pushed her aside and jumped as high as he could. His fingers grasped the end of the opening and he hauled himself up. The Doctor stepped back,  
"Ladies first,"  
Not bothering to argue Sofia jumped, her arms reaching for Jamie's outstretched hands,  
"Thanks," she managed as he pulled her upwards,  
"No problem. Come on Doctor!"  
Sofia looked down to see the Doctor readying himself for the jump. He leapt as high as he could and as Jamie caught him Sofia grinned. They would be alright.

Then the Doctor gave a cry of alarm,  
"Oh! Oh no!"  
Peering past Jamie Sofia saw that one of the Zygons had grabbed hold of the Doctors legs and was pulling him back down. Jamie gritted his teeth, the veins in his neck standing out and he tried desperately to pull the Doctor free,  
"Doctor…I…I can't," he bit his lip and carried on pulling. Meanwhile Sofia looked around for a weapon and her eyes spied a large tree branch that must have been blown here by one of last year's storms. Running back to the opening she began attacking the Zygon with al her strength. She had never seen one up close and she didn't want to repeat the experience. It's thick, sucker like fingers were slowly starting to come loose from the Doctors clothing as Sofia kept battering it – and occasionally the Doctors leg. The Doctor was two thirds out of the opening when the Zygon finally let go and the three of them collapsed in a heap, panting. The Doctor leaned over and patted Sofia,  
"Thank you very much," he frowned, "Although did you have to hit me as well. I am on your side,"  
"Sorry about that," Sofia shut her eyes as she lay back. A small smile crept onto her face,  
"Doctor! Help!"  
Sofia and the Doctor jumped up with alarm as they saw Jamie being dragged back towards the opening. Grabbing him by the arms the Doctor tried to pull him away whilst Sofia grabbed the tree branch and brought it down on the face of the Zygon. It snarled at her before falling back into the corridor. After shutting the trap door the Doctor took out a handkerchief and mopped his brow,  
"Are you alright Jamie,"  
"Aye," Jamie rubbed his leg before getting to his feet. He looked at the tree branch on Sofia hand,  
"Remind me never to get in a fight with ye lass," 


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter Eleven

Jamie stared over at Sofia who was lying back in the chair, eyes shut and fanning herself desperately. They'd run straight from the waterfall to the village and only when they'd arrived at her house did the whole experience hit Sofia. Her legs had shook and Jamie had taken her arm,  
"Are ye alright?"  
She nodded at him, "I can't believe I just beat up an alien,"  
Jamie grinned, "Aye, there's a lot of that when ye're with the Doctor."  
At the mention of his name the Doctor popped up behind them,  
"Ah Sofia…do you think Jim will still be inside?"  
Sofia shrugged and the Doctor nodded before letting himself into the house. Jamie and Sofia had followed to see Jim sitting by the table. Jim smiled at the Doctor,  
"Back already I see," he looked at Sofia, "Matt's gone home by the way,"  
Sofia ignored him and sat down by the Doctor who was flicking through the mess on the table,  
"Yes well…" the Doctor picked up a pile of papers and Jamie sighed,  
"Doctor I've already told ye. Ye not going to find anything in there," he gestured to Sofia, "We didn't."  
"Yes but now we know what to look for," the Doctor muttered. Jamie rolled his eyes,  
"Which is?"  
"Well…" the Doctor looked at the faces around him, "I can't help feeling that this sudden change in weather has something to do with it all,"  
"You mean it could be deliberate?" Jim asked. The Doctor nodded,  
"Hmm yes. I think the Zygons might be controlling the Earths weather for some reason," he turned to the weather reports,  
"But I need to be certain,"  
"Aye well…have ye got any more water?"  
Sofia shook her head and Jim glanced at Jamie, "You can go over to my house if you like. Sofia's got the key,"  
Jamie nodded in thanks before both he and Sofia left the Doctor and Jim to force their way through the files.

Jim's house was a lot warmer than Sofia's and Jamie could feel sweat drip down the back of his neck. He sat back in the chair; hands behind his head. He'd rolled up his sleeves yet he was still boiling. Sofia wiped her forehead – her throat was so dry. She looked at him,  
"So the Zygons are changing the earth's temperature?"  
"Aye."  
"But why? What good will it do them?"  
"Well…" Jamie began. He had a thought in the back of his mind. Sofia watched him thoughtfully,  
"The Doctor thinks the Zygons want to invade Earth doesn't he?"  
Jamie paused before nodding. Sofia shook her head,  
"God. This is just like War of the Worlds…only real!"  
"Don't worry lass. The Doctor will sort it all out,"  
Sofia raised an eyebrow at Jamie's confidence. Then another thought came to her,  
"The Zygons must be controlling the weather from their own ship. If we could find a way in maybe we could smash up the controls,"  
Jamie nodded thoughtfully and Sofia grinned,  
"That ventilation shaft? How big was it?"  
"About so big," Jamie held his hands apart to show her how big it was. Sofia nodded and Jamie recognised the look in her eyes. It was one he'd seen on the Doctor's face countless times,  
"Oh no,"  
"No what?"  
"Ye're not going through that shaft,"  
"I'm the only one who will fit through the shaft,"  
"I know but it's too dangerous,"  
Sofia had a short temper in hot weather and was on the verge of glaring at him, "Is this because I'm a woman?"  
Jamie paused and she glared at him,  
"Just because you're a man doesn't make it any less dangerous for you,"  
"I just think we should wait for the Doctor to come back,"  
Sofia nodded and sighed, "Yeah maybe we should. Do you want another drink?"  
Jamie nodded and Sofia headed through to the kitchen. As she did so Jamie settled in the chair and shut his eyes. Whilst the Doctor was out it gave him a chance to relax in the silence of the house.

Silence.

Jamie opened one eye to make sure he wasn't imagining it. The house was completely silent.  
"Sofia?"  
Silence. He got up from his chair and went into the kitchen,  
"Sofia?"  
The kitchen was empty. Jamie looked around and saw a scrap of paper on the table. He picked it up and the single word written on it,

_Sorry._

Jamie looked and saw Sofia's rucksack had gone as well. His eyes then strayed to the door which was slightly ajar. Shaking his head he left the house and sprinted through the village to get the Doctor.

Sofia didn't bother putting the torch on as she crept through the tunnel. She knew where the trap door was. Kneeling on the hard earth she waved her hand over it and waited as the trap door opened before jumping down into the corridor. The second she landed the intense heat hit her full on. Immediately she could feel her vest top sticking to her skin and her feet were getting uncomfortable in her boots. Deciding to leave the trap door open to allow some fresh air she looked round as she tried to remember which way they had gone during their last visit. After a few minutes she set off – she wasn't completely sure she was going the right way, but she had a hunch at least. After ten minutes of searching she came across the ventilation shaft the Doctor and Jamie had found. Her head was pounding and she took several deep breaths before almost collapsing by the shaft cover. She'd had a drink only ten minutes ago yet it felt like hours to her body. Wiping her forehead she pulled out her Swiss army knife and began to unscrew the cover. It was hard at first and the knife kept slipping in her hands. However, she soon removed the cover and began to crawl inside it. If she had thought the main corridors were hot then the ventilation shaft was borderline unbearable. The v shaft was so tight she had to lie on her front and commando crawl through it and her arms kept sticking to the hot walls. She hoped the main control room wasn't far; there was no way she would be able to stand this sort of heat for very long. Thankfully she didn't have to. After ten minutes of crawling she came across another cover. Sofia looked through it and saw she was staring into the control room. From what she could see there was an entire wall covered in screens, buttons and dials. One Zygon sat facing this wall and Sofia saw another two strolling around checking up on things. As silently as she could she began to unscrew the cover.

The Doctor was examining some papers when Jim burst in carrying a huge scrapbook. The man had been constantly refilling his glass with water for the past half an hour whilst wondering how on earth the Doctor was able to stay in his black coat. The Doctor meanwhile was too busy reading the newspaper clippings to notice that Jamie had burst into the room;  
"Doctor!" the boy was out of breath and leant against the door frame. Jim immediately filled a glass of water and passed it to him. After hurridly draining it and chucking the rest on his head, Jamie turned to the Doctor,  
"Doctor,"  
"Ah here you are Jamie. Take a look at this," the Doctor handed him the scrap book and Jamie read it for a few minute before handing back,  
"What am I supposed to be looking at?"  
"Well it seems that this sudden heat wave isn't as sudden as we first thought?" the Doctor nodded to Jim,  
"Jim here has been collecting records of climate change over the past few decades and it seems that the planet has been getting hotter for several years,"  
Jim nodded, "The past few summers have been getting hotter, drier and longer,"  
"Well that's not strange is it?" Jamie didn't understand what the Doctor was getting at. Jim shook his head,  
"Yeah but it's been happening all over the world. Countries near the North Pole have been experiencing similar summers to half of Africa!"  
The Doctor nodded, "This means that the Zygons have been preparing the Earth for a long time. And I have a feeling they've almost finished,"

He then looked at Jamie as if he'd just realised he'd entered the room,  
"What is it?"  
Jamie wiped his forehead, "Doctor it's Sofia. She's gone!"  
"Gone? Gone where?"  
Jamie shrugged, "She asked how big the ventilation shaft was. I told her and she said she was the only one who could fit through. I said we'd wait for you but she must have sneaked off,"  
The Doctor had a slight smile on his face, "I think we've met someone whose just as headstrong as you are Jamie and…" his smile vanished and his eyes widened,  
"The ventilation shaft leads to the control room!"  
Jamie nodded and the Doctor grabbed his arm, "But that's going to be filled with Zygons!"  
"I know Doctor I…"  
"We've got to stop her!" the Doctor pushed Jamie out of the door, "Before something bad happens,"  
They both left Jim standing in the room. A look of confusion crossed his face before he shook his head and filled another glass of water.

Sofia was very uncomfortable. Not only was she baking to death inside the shaft, but she was sitting cross legged beside yet another cover and her neck was bent awkwardly at one angle. She was using her knife to undo the cover but her palms were becoming increasingly sweaty and the knife kept slipping from her hands. The first time it caught her leg and left her with a long scratch running down her calf. Her damp hair clung to the sides of her face and as the screws keeping the cover in place came out one by one, Sofia was desperate to get into the control room before she passed out from the heat. Her heart soared as the final screw came out as Sofia slowly eased the cover off before gently placing it beside her in the shaft.

Sofia cautiously poked her head through the opening in order to get a good look at the control room. The walls were a mix of brown and green and looked like rock faces. Straight ahead of her was a large screen showing the village square. The Zygon pressed a button and the image changed to reveal part of a dark creature underwater. Sofia had a suspicion this was the Zygons pet monster on the screen. She turned her head away and saw that the walls were lined with waist height control panels. They were the same colour as the walls and were covered with small switches and buttons that looked like suckers. Sofia gave a slight smile as she realised only one Zygon remained in the room and it had its back to her. Slowly putting one hand in front of the other she crawled through the opening on her hands and knees. It was excruciatingly slow going as the Zygon kept on walking from one control panel to another. Sofia only dared breathe as the Zygon pressed a button and left the control room. Getting to her feet she ran over to one set of controls. She looked at the small label by the levers. It read HEAT. Grabbing the lever Sofia tried in vain to push it the other way. Her hands slipped with the effort but the lever wasn't moving,  
"It's locked," she whispered, "That's so not fair,"  
As she was busy trying to force the lever she didn't hear the door opening behind her. She didn't see the tall form of Bronx making its way towards her, hands outstretched, reaching for her neck.

The Doctor and Jamie sprinted through the corridors in panic. They could see no Zygons but neither could they see any sign of Sofia. Jamie's legs were wobbling and he could taste something funny at the back of his throat. He grasped the Doctor,  
"I can't….Doctor…need to rest,"  
The Doctor turned and Jamie was annoyed that he couldn't even pretend to look out of breath. The Doctor nodded and the two sat down on the floor. Jamie pushed his hair from his face,  
"Do ye think she's alright?"  
"Of course she is Jamie,"  
"I should have stopped her," Jamir growled. The Doctor patted his shoulder,  
"Don't worry about it Jamie. It's not your fault you know,"  
Jamie shrugged and the Doctor pulled him to his feet,  
"Come on. Onwards and upwards as they say,"  
Jamie shook his head at the Doctor's cheeriness. However the pair had only managed two steps when they heard a whimpering sound. The Doctor and Jamie grabbed each other in panic and they froze as a long drawn out scream rang though the corridors 


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter Twelve

The Doctor and Jamie burst through the doorway. Sofia spun round and they both stopped in their tracks. She stared at them in amazement,  
"Where's the fire?" she didn't smile and the Doctor frowned at her carefully,  
"We heard you screaming,"  
Sofia frowned, "You must have misheard Doctor. I didn't make any sound at all,"  
"Oh well then," the Doctor clapped his hands together and moved around the room. It was dimly lit and the controls made almost no sense even for him. He looked up to see one wall almost covered by a single screen that was showing an underwater scene. He muttered something before turning his attention to the controls. As he did this Jamie walked up towards Sofia,  
"Ye sure ye're alright lass?"  
"I'm perfectly fine," she replied quickly. Jamie nodded before joining the Doctor at the controls,  
"What exactly do they do Doctor,"  
"Well I'm not quite sure Jamie," the Doctor was pondering and his hand hovered over a small lever like control,  
"It could take me a while to fully understand their functions,"  
"I wouldn't touch them if I were you,"  
The Doctor turned to look at Sofia. She was staring past him at her attention was focused on the lever his hand was hovering over. The Doctor paused,  
"Oh. Why ever not?"  
"Because….because…" she seemed lost for words, "Because I already tried them. Nothing happened,"  
"Oh well, in that case," the Doctor stepped away from the controls and was now taking a good look at Sofia,  
"Why did you come down here anyway?"  
"I wanted to try and stop the Zygons," she spoke so calmly it unnerved the Doctor,  
"and…"  
"I couldn't find anything. There's clearly nothing we can do now,"  
"So what would you suggest?" the Doctor clasped his hand together. Sofia thought for a second,  
"Well we can't do anything can we?"  
"So ye want to give up?" Jamie stood beside the Doctor and was staring at Sofia in shock. She gave a small shrug and Jamie gaped at her,  
"What about all the people who are going to die? The people who have died!"  
She shrugged and the Doctor stood up straighter,  
"Well that proves it then," his voice held a new note of authority, "you aren't the real Sofia,"  
"Eh?" Jamie didn't get it. The Doctor nodded however,  
"The Sofia I know would never give up if people's lives were at stake,"  
Jamie watched Sofia who simply stared straight back at him. He tapped the Doctor nervously in the shoulder,  
"Doctor…it looks like Sofia,"  
"But it isn't her Jamie," he raised his voice, "Are you not going to come out and face us?"

For a second Sofia stood there unmoving. Then something unreal happened. As her body began to glow her skin changed from flesh to a strange shade of green. Her body grew taller and her hands became claw like. Suckers began to appear all over her body and her head was attached to shoulders instead of a neck. Both the Doctor and Jamie were frozen to the spot as a Zygon stood in Sofia's place. Jamie clutched his stomach. Watching the transformation had made him feel slightly nauseated. The Zygon bared its teeth as it advanced on the pair,  
"My name is Bronx. I am Warlord of the Zygons," he hissed,  
"What just happened Doctor?" Jamie no longer felt queasy, but his head was still spinning. Bronx glared at him,  
"Did you just call this man 'Doctor'?"  
"Err…well yes," Jamie looked at the Doctor who was examining Bronx. The Zygons gave a horrible grin that revealed rows of small, sharp teeth,  
"at last. The Doctor has returned. Now we can extract our revenge!"  
The Doctor seemed very surprised, "But I've never met you on this planet before,"  
"And yet," Bronx hissed, "I know of two encounters where our race were halted on earth by a man known as the Doctor,"  
The Doctor adjusted his tie and put on an air of importance,  
"Well it's nice to know I get around I suppose,"  
Jamie was becoming very confused by the whole situation. He stepped forward and glared at Bronx,  
"What have ye done with Sofia?"  
The Doctor patted him on the shoulder,  
"I think Bronx used Sofia's body to fool us Jamie,"  
Jamie stared at the hideous Zygon. Then a horrible thought struck him,  
"Doctor…what if she's dead?" he whispered.  
That thought hadn't struck the Doctor. His mouth dropped open and he hurriedly turned to Bronx,  
"Our friend. Is she still alive?"  
"Yes,"  
"Oh that's good," the Doctor clasped his hands and Bronx hissed at him,  
"But she will only remain alive if you co-operate with us,"  
"Oh!" the Doctor narrowed his eyes, "and how do I know you aren't lying and she's dead already,"  
"Zygons can only take on the form of another for a short time span. We need to keep the original alive so we can continue to use their body print,"

"That's disgusting," Jamie snarled. Bronx ignored him,  
If you try and stop us then we shall kill the human female,"  
"This is monstrous!" the Doctor stamped his foot like a small child,  
"Using an innocent girl as a hostage!"  
Bronx smiled at the Doctor, "and yet it is effective,"  
"Oh…" the Doctor nodded meekly and gave Jamie a warning look. Bronx made his way towards the control panel and the Doctor hesitantly joined him,  
"I suppose you'll be telling us your plan for invading this planet?"  
"Of course," Bronx sneered and Jamie slowly reached for the knife at his belt. The Doctor saw him out of the corner of his eyes and immediately tried to gain Bronx's attention.  
"Oh," the Doctor began to ponder. However, Bronx sneered at him,  
"Do not think this will give you an advantage Doctor,"  
"Oh no of course! I wouldn't dream of it," the Doctor gave Jamie frantic signals behind his back. Jamie raised his knife and braced himself. He didn't hear the footsteps behind him. He was too busy focusing on the figure of Bronx. The Doctor winked at him and Jamie nodded. Milliseconds before he launched himself at Bronx, the Zygon whirled round,  
"Stop!" he yelled. Jamie stopped in his tracks but kept the knife in his hand. Bronx eyed him carefully,  
"You think your puny weapons can harm us,"  
"Why do ye let me find out?" Jamie muttered. Bronx smiled,  
"You will help us Doctor,"  
The Doctor highly doubted this and his face showed it,  
"Oh will I?"  
"Yes. You. Will!"  
Before Jamie could so anything, his knife arm was suddenly wrenched behind his back. The knife clattered to the floor and Jamie struggled in the grip of his Zygon captor,  
"Get ye're hands off me! Ow!" he broke off with a gasp of pain as the Zygon placed its hand on his neck. Jamie gritted his teeth as the suckers stuck to his neck and stung his skin,  
"That…that hurts!" he gasped, "Doctor!"  
The Doctor wrung his hands and turned to Bronx,  
"What will you do to him?"  
"If you refuse to help us we will kill him,"  
Jamie shut his eyes and his face was a mask of pain as the touch of the Zygon burned his skin.

Jamie gave another shout of pain and the Doctor turned to Bronx,  
"Very well. I'll help you,"  
Bronx smiled, "Thank you for cooperating with us Doctor,"  
The Doctor said nothing. He watched as the Zygon released Jamie who dropped to his knees. Bronx pointed at the Zygon,  
"Kelik. Watch him,"  
Kelik nodded whilst the Doctor frowned at Bronx,  
"What do you want me to do?"  
"There is a problem with our Skarasen. It's not functioning at its proper quality,"  
"Oh well…I don't think I can help you there," the Doctor said. Bronx hissed and Kelik took a step towards Jamie who was shakily getting to his feet. He'd re-sheathed his knife and was rubbing his neck with a grimace on his face. The Doctor paused,  
"Then again…let me have a look,"  
Jamie watched as both the Doctor and Bronx turned their back on him. He watched the other Zygon – Kelik – out of the corner of his eye. Jamie's neck stung like mad,  
"Just ye wait," he muttered darkly in Kelik's direction, "Just ye wait."  
The Zygon didn't seem to have heard him. In fact, despite his orders he wasn't even watching Jamie. Instead his gaze was fixed upon Bronx and the Doctor. Biting his lip Jamie began to silently step backwards, never taking his eyes off the Zygons. His back hit a door panel and he almost feel backwards as it slid upwards. Wondering if this was the best thing to do Jamie turned and ran.

Each and every corridor looked the same to Jamie. Apart from the fact that he was now completely lost, he had no idea where Sofia might be. Slowing his pace to a walk he tried calling out,  
"Sofia?" he didn't dare do more than whisper, "Sofia?"  
He was met with just silence. Jamie sighed before looking up to see two Zygons heading his way. Looking around he saw an open door panel to his left and he dived through it as the Zygons walked past. Jamie only dared to lift his head when he heard the sound of the door shutting behind him. Looking up to see where he was his mouth dropped open in shock. The walls were lines with pale green cradles – some of which held people. Wires ran from their heads and wrists and as he walked along Jamie's mouth dropped open even more. He passed a tall man in a checked shirt,  
"Henry," he muttered. The Doctor had told him about the local landlord and as Jamie looked at the pale lifeless face he felt a stab of pity. His eyes wandered along the walls until he saw another familiar face,  
"Sofia!"  
Jamie ran over to where the body of his friend stood. In a panic he reached up and ripped the wires from her body. Only when they fell to the floor did he realise that he had no idea what they were. They could have been keeping her alive for all he knew. However, looking up he saw that Sofia was still breathing. Her eyes flickered and she moved her head slightly,  
"Wha…where?"  
Jamie grinned as she opened her eyes and looked around her before looking at him,  
"Jamie? What are you doing here? Where even is here?"  
Jamie leaned forward and helped her clamber down. Sofia's legs wobbled slightly and she fell into him,  
"Sorry," she hugged him tight, before starting to properly take in her surroundings,  
"Seriously where are we?"  
"A part of the Zygon ship," Jamie muttered, "Me and the Doctor met up with your double earlier,"  
"My double…" Sofia's voice cracked, realising what Jamie meant "I feel sick,"  
Jamie had no time for sympathy. He grabbed her hand,  
"We need to go and help the Doctor,"  
"What's happened?"  
"Och there's no time to explain," Jamie pulled Sofia towards the door he had just come through,  
"All ye need to know is he needs our help,"  
The door panel slid open and Jamie stopped, pushing Sofia behind him. Two Zygons barred the way. Teeth bared they reached for the two. Sofia pulled Jamie back,  
"I think the Doctor might have to wait,"


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter Thirteen

The Doctor poured over the controls for the Skarasen whilst Bronx kept a careful eye on him. The Doctor made several muttering sounds and Bronx frowned,  
"What is it? What's taking you so long?"  
"Now don't rush me," the Doctor flapped his hands in the Zygons' direction, "I can't work if I'm being rushed,"  
This was true. However the Doctor need to keep Bronx distracted for as long as possible. He had seen Jamie leave the room – no doubt to look for Sofia – and the Doctor didn't want their friendly captors to notice as well. He could almost taste the Zygons breath as it leant over him;  
"Well?" if the Doctor didn't know any better he would have assumed that the Zygon was starting to get a bit panicky. The Doctor clapped his hands together and smiled,  
"Well…I can't do much about the Skarasen. However I have managed to reset the weather controls so that the Earth's temperature will revert to normal,"  
"WHAT!" Bronx pushed the Doctor aside and grabbed the levers. The Doctor chuckled,  
"And I've also managed to lock the controls. They can't be undone by anyone now,"  
Bronx turned to the Doctor. His face a mask of rage. The Doctor began backing away; however, Bronx was now looking round the room,  
"The human male. Where is he?"  
The Doctor shrugged, "How should I know. I've been busy haven't I?"  
Bronx faced Kelik, "You! How dare you let him escape!  
To the Doctor surprise Kelik smiled,  
"Your time is over Bronx. You've lead our people to nothing but death and defeat,"  
"What is this?" Bronx hissed as Kelik advanced on him,  
"It's time you were replaced. We need a new leader, someone to bring us glory,"  
At these words Kelik threw himself at Bronx. The Doctor staggered backwards to avoid being knocked over in the scuffle. Kelik pinned Bronx to the ground,  
"You will die," he barked. Bronx growled and sank his teeth into Kelik's shoulder. The Zygon let go and fell backwards in agony. Bronx was on him in an instant and the Doctor turned away as Kelik's dying screams rang out. Bronx got to his feet and rounded to the Doctor,  
"Do not think that you or your friends will be able to escape,"  
Bronx snapped his fingers and the door panel opened to reveal two Zygons. They grabbed the Doctor by the arms and at a nod from Bronx they dragged him from the room.

Sofia drew her knees to her chest and watched as Jamie tried again and again to break the door to their cell down. He was throwing himself against it with all his strength but Sofia could see it was hopeless,  
"Jamie,"  
He ignored her,  
"Jamie! Just leave it. You won't open it that way,"  
Jamie gave the door a final stubborn glance before sitting down by Sofia. He clenched his fist,  
"What about the Doctor?"  
"He'll be fine," Sofia assured him, "By the looks of things you two are pretty experienced at this sort of thing."  
Jamie smiled before jumping to his feet as the door slid open and the Doctor was pushed through. He looked around him before his eyes settled on his friends,  
"Jamie! Sofia!"  
"Doctor!" After they had reunited the Doctor sat down against the wall between the two. He smiled at Sofia,  
"Don't worry. I've managed to reset the weather controls. Right now the Earth's temperature is slowly decreasing," he clapped his hands, "The Zygons won't be able to invade now,"  
Sofia frowned, "I still can't believe that they have actual weather controls on their ship,"  
"Why shouldn't they?" the Doctor asked, "Humans aren't actually the most advanced race in the universe. There are many races out there with all sorts of technology…" he broke off as he realised Sofia was watching him carefully,  
"The way you say 'human'…it's like you aren't one,"  
"Well," the Doctor was about to come up with an explanation when Sofia's mouth dropped,  
"You mean…" she looked the Doctor up and down, "You're an _alien_?"  
The Doctor nodded and Sofia turned to Jamie who shook his head,  
"Not me. I can guarantee I'm a human,"  
Sofia turned to the Doctor with a new look in her eyes,  
"It's just that…well you aren't what I would have expected an alien to look like,"  
"Hey?" the Doctor began. Sofia shook her head,  
"No it's not a problem…it's actually kinda cool,"  
"Oh," the Doctor smiled at Jamie who rolled his eyes. His own mind moving on to other matters.

"Doctor? How did Bronx know about you but you didn't know him?"  
The Doctor sighed, "I've met the Zygons once…on their own planet as it happens,"  
"So why does Bronx think you've met Zygons on earth?"  
"Well I haven't met them _yet_," the Doctor sighed, "That's the trouble with time travel. It's so easy for this sort of thing to happen,"  
"_Time travel?"  
_Both the Doctor and Jamie looked over at Sofia who was staring at them in bewilderment. She shook her head,  
"Listen, the alien thing I can believe. But _time travel_? I'm not that gullible,"  
The Doctor smiled at her "It's all true Sofia," he turned to Jamie,  
"Jamie? When were you born?"  
"Oh…" Jamie grinned at Sofia, "1724,"  
"But…but…" she looked at him, "that makes you…" she worked it out in her head, "Almost three hundred years old!"  
The Doctor laughed out loud at Jamie's aghast face, "Yes…well I think that's beside the point," he turned to Sofia,  
"The point is…I'm going to meet Zygons again on Earth in _my_ future but the earth's past. Right?"  
Sofia nodded. She didn't fully get it but it was easier to go along with things. She shook her head,  
"Oh boy. This explains so much about you two,"  
Jamie raised an eyebrow and the Doctor shushed him. Sofia looked at the Doctor,  
"So what were you on earth anyway? If I could travel in space and time I can't see me picking here,"  
"Well…" Jamie began. However the Doctor shook his head,  
"It was by accident really. Although it turned out to be a good one,"  
"Aye," Jamie grumbled, "If we can get out of here that is,"  
As if to answer the young scot's comment the door panel slid open and the trio looked up to see the imposing figure of Bronx standing there. His sunken eyes fixed upon the Doctor and his teeth were bared. The Doctor meanwhile merely glanced at the Zygon,  
"Get up," Bronx's voice shot through the Doctor like a bullet. Glancing warily at his two friends the Doctor got to his feet. Both Jamie and Sofia stood on either side protectively. Bronx didn't give them a second glance. Instead he turned to the Doctor,  
"You will fix your little act of sabotage,"  
"Will I?" the Doctor frowned, "Yes I was wondering when it would come down to this,"  
"You _will_ fix the controls Doctor?"  
"Why should I?" the Doctor drew himself up to his full height; his voice full of authority,  
"Why should I help you to destroy a planet?"  
"Because if you don't," Bronx, said, "I will kill your friends,"  
He took several steps towards Sofia who shrank back. Bronx's head then turned to Jamie who stared him out for as long as he dared. The Doctor carried on watching Bronx,  
"You can threaten me for as long as you like but it won't work,"  
"Are you sure Doctor?"  
"Oh yes," the Doctor smiled happily, "My act of sabotage as you call it is completely irreversible. I can't do anything to it and neither can you,"  
Bronx face tensed up and the Doctor braced himself for the barrage of abuse that was sure to come. Instead however the Zygon simply nodded,  
"Very well then," as he turned to go the Doctor frowned,  
"Wait just a minute! Where are you going?"  
Bronx didn't turn to face the Doctor, "I am going to the ships main control deck to prepare for take-off,"  
"But…what about us?" Jamie asked. Bronx shrugged,  
"You will come with us. And when we arrive at our destination…you _will_ wish you had helped us."  
As he strode off the door slid shut behind him and the Doctor gave a sad smile. Sofia looked at him,  
"What happens now?"  
"I'm afraid I don't know Sofia," the Doctor muttered. Jamie frowned,  
"Ye must have something in mind?"  
The Doctor shook his head,  
"I think Jamie….that we've really gone and done it."


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter Fourteen

Bronx waited patiently outside the cell that held the Doctor and his human friends. He had seen the look in the man's eyes and he knew it was only a matter of time before the Doctor banged on that door. Bronx glanced down at his arm. A huge gash ran across it from Kelik's attack; the Zygon warlord prodded it and winced at the pain. Looking around he wondered how many more of his men had sided with Kelik. How many more would try to overthrow him. Bronx shook his head. It didn't matter. He was a warlord of the Zygons; he would crush each and every rebellion as thought it was nothing more than a worm. Instead he turned his attention back to the Doctor. Leaning close to the door he could hear low voices muttering. Bronx gave a toothy smile as he heard the sound of a fist on the door,  
"Excuse me! I want to speak to someone with authority!"  
Bronx frowned at the Doctor's words. Was he trying to mock the Zygon warlord? Clenching his fist Bronx pressed the button that operated the door. If the Doctor was mocking him…he would soon regret it.

The Doctor frowned as the Zygon stood in the doorway. Behind him both Jamie and Sofia waited patiently. The Doctor had explained the plan to them both and to no one's surprise Jamie had rejected it from the start. He had insisted that it would just get the Doctor killed. However, the Doctor had gently explained to his young friend there really was no other alternative. Facing Bronx the Doctor tilted his chin up slightly as the Zygon moved towards him,  
"What is it?"  
The Doctor ignored the smell of rotten meat that came from the Zygon. He wrinkled his nose and assumed an air of importance,  
"You wanted me to fix the controls?"  
"Indeed I did Doctor. But as you say...it cannot be done," Bronx turned to go when the Doctor held out a hand,  
"Wait a moment!"  
Bronx paused. Was this some sort of trick? An escape attempt. He looked at the Doctor's face, searching for the lie. The Doctor wrung his hands,  
"Well I might be able to take a look at them,"  
If the Zygon could have managed it the Doctor would have expected it to raise an eyebrow. Clasping his hands together the Doctor silently prayed the Zygon would but the tale. Bronx instead however looked at his two friends,  
"I suppose you'll want something in return Doctor,"  
"Oh well…now you mention it," the Doctor said brightly. He turned to Sofia and Jamie,  
"If you let them go I will help you,"  
Bronx was unsure about what to do. He did not trust the Doctor for one second. Yet, if he could be the Zygon to conquer earth… He would go down in history. It would certainly put a stop to any sort of rebellion from his men. Bronx turned and called out to one of the Zygons passing in the corridor,  
"Cancel the take-off."  
Bronx turned back to the Doctor who was ushering his friends forward,  
"Wait!" Bronx raised a hand and the Doctor frowned,  
"I thought we had a deal!"  
"Indeed we do Doctor. They will remain here whilst you work. Only when you finish your work, will they be allowed to leave,"  
"Oh…" the Doctor didn't even try to negotiate. He knew the Zygon held all the cards,  
"You promise they won't be harmed?"  
"Upon my honour as a Zygon warlord," Bronx placed a fist over his chest and the Doctor gave a less than satisfied nod.  
"Doctor…" Jamie reached forward but the Doctor shook his head,  
"Don't worry Jamie. Everything will be alright," the Doctor reassured him before following the Zygon from the room. As the door slid shut Bronx allowed the Doctor to go first as they moved down the corridor. As soon as the Doctor was out of earshot Bronx grabbed a passing Zygon,  
"Kill the two humans," he hissed. The Zygon nodded and Bronx bared his teeth. The Doctor had been stupid enough to trust him. His stupidity would lead to his death.

Jamie leant against the wall and shut his eyes in frustration. Sofia could see the worry in his eyes but she wasn't sure what to say. Things such as "Don't worry," and "He'll be fine," just didn't seem adequate somehow. Instead Sofia tried a different tact. She needed to take Jamie's mind off the current situation,  
"So you and the Doctor travel through time and space together?"  
"Aye," Jamie sat down beside her. Sofia raised an eyebrow,  
"Like…in an actual spaceship,"  
"Of course. It's called the Tardis,"  
"Tardis?" Sofia didn't know much about names of ships but she certainly didn't expect something like that. Jamie began counting on his fingers,  
"Time and Relative Dimensions in Space. That's what it stands for," he added. Sofia nodded,  
"What's it like? Being able to travel to all these distant planets. Go to all these different time periods?"  
Jamie sat back. He could tell Sofia was trying to take his mind off the Doctor. However he could also see she really was curious about it. Running a hand through his hair he tried to find the best way to explain it,  
"It's strange at first. One day you'll be in the far future and then the next you'll be at the start of time. But…ye just get used to it after a while,"  
Sofia nodded. A small smile creeping on to her face. Resting her head on Jamie's shoulder she grinned at him,  
"I'd love to be able to do that,"  
"Travel through time?"  
She nodded, "Give me a chance to see my parents again,"  
Jamie didn't bother saying the Doctor didn't allow that sort of thing. He knew Sofia wouldn't want to hear it. Instead he gave her a slight hug. She looked at him,  
"Also it would be a seriously cool thing to do," she added to lighten the mood. Jamie nodded in agreement. When you thought about what he and the Doctor did, it was really cool. For a second the two sat there in silence. Both unsure of what to say. As the door slid open Jamie's head snapped up, expecting it to be the Doctor. As the bulk of the Zygon entered both he and Sofia were on their feet in an instant. Jamie pushed Sofia behind him as the Zygon raised its arms. Jamie dodged the Zygons first attack as he fell to the floor. Getting to his feet he saw the Zygons attentions had moved to Sofia who had been backed into a corner. She threw herself at the Zygon in an attempt to rugby tackle it to the ground. But instead it grabbed her wrists,  
"Ow! Get off me you creep!"  
As the Zygon twisted Sofia wrists Jamie gritted his teeth and launched himself at the Zygon,  
"Creag an tuire!"  
He crashed into the Zygons back. Howling the creature let go of Sofia and tried to shake Jamie off. Seeing a chance Sofia grabbed at the Zygon and pushed it away from her. Jamie meanwhile, wrapped one arm round the Zygons head to avoid falling off whilst landing a cold, hard punch to the Zygons face. Screaming, the Zygon fell to its knees and Jamie jumped to the floor and stared at the beast. Sofia rubbed her wrists,  
"God that hurt,"  
Looking over at the open door Jamie beckoned her over. The pair looked out into the corridor and upon finding it empty they cautiously stepped out. Sofia looked back to the see the Zygon clutching it's head in agony,  
"Let's give you some time alone," she said sweetly. Pressing a button the door panel slid down, trapping the Zygon. Jamie looked up and down the corridor,  
"Which way do we go? Left or right?"  
Sofia followed his gaze, "Right,"  
Jamie looked at her, "Are ye sure?"  
"Nope."

Once again the Doctor found himself pondering over the controls. He was racking his brains, trying to work out how to keep the deception going for as long as possible. There really was nothing he could do about the controls, but the last thing he wanted was for Bronx to grow suspicious. Tapping his nose in thought the Doctor pretended to be examining some wires. All the time he could sense that Bronx was standing right behind him; should he try to escape again. The Doctor sighed despondently. He was running on borrowed time. In a few minutes Bronx would figure out the trick. Running a hand through his mess of hair the Doctor sighed before turning to Bronx. Maybe he could try and charm his way out. Putting on his best smile the Doctor attempted to straighten his bow tie before addressing the Zygon,  
"I'm sorry," he shook his head in mock disappointment, "I've tried to find a solution but there really is nothing I can do,"  
Bronx bared his teeth, "In which case I have no further use for you, Doctor,"  
The Doctor backed away as Bronx advanced, "Now wait a moment. Wait a…oh!"  
He fell against the controls and Bronx loomed over him. Sunken eyes glinting dangerously and a hand reached for the Doctors neck.  
"Hey!"  
The Doctor peered out over Bronx's shoulder in time to see someone throw themselves on the Zygon. As Jamie tried to haul Bronx away, the Doctor found himself being pulled to his feet by Sofia,  
"Ahh thank you very much," he patted her shoulder, "Perfect timing,"  
She grinned, "One tries,"  
Jamie jumped out of the path of Bronx's swipe before both he and the Doctor pushed the Zygon into the controls. As Bronx slumped to the floor the Doctor and his friends ran out into the corridor. As they did so they heard a loud wailing sound above them,  
"What is that?" Sofia clamped a hand over her ears. The Doctors face fell,  
"It must be an alarm of some kind," he gripped his friends, "They must be starting an emergency take off!"  
Panting, Jamie rested his hands on his knees, "What do we do now Doctor,"  
The Doctor shrugged, "Well that's very simple Jamie. We run."


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter Fifteen

Sofia was having a strange sense of de ja vu as they ran through the corridors. Both she and Jamie had no idea where they were going and she wondered if the Doctor knew as well. Sofia looked over to her right and her feet skidded to a halt as she saw the open trapdoor,  
"Doctor wait!" she flung her arm out, "It's that way,"  
The Doctor shook his head, "We aren't going that way,"  
"What?" Sofia ran after the figure of the Doctor, "Where are we going then?"  
"We need…we need to stop this ship from taking off," the Doctor panted. Sofia shook her head,  
"But the Zygons will go. Isn't that what we wanted?"  
Checking the coast was clear the Doctor stopped outside a door panel,  
"What about all those people Jamie found hmm? What do you think will happen to them if this ship takes off and their still here?"  
"Oh," Sofia felt a stab of guilt. She had completely forgotten about the Zygons human prisoners. The Doctor nodded before opening the door that stood before them. He gestured to Sofia,  
"Ladies first,"  
Raising an eyebrow Sofia entered the room. Her mouth dropped as she took in the sheer size of the room. It was twice as big as the control room she had seen and in the middle stood a large, round control panel. Like the others it to was covered in levers and buttons. But Sofia could also see what looked like the alien version of a joystick. Looking at the Doctors satisfied smile everything clicked into place,  
"This is the main control room isn't it?"  
The Doctor nodded and Jamie pushed past him,  
"Hey look at the size of this Doctor?"  
"Yes Jamie. It is a big one," the Doctor muttered. Jamie turned round, looking round for any sign of Zygons,  
"Something doesn't feel right about this," he muttered grimly. The Doctor shushed him before getting onto his hands and knees and crawling underneath the control panel. Sofia squatted down to see him rip off the cover and toss it aside. He looked up at her,  
"Ahh Sofia. Could you and Jamie do me a favour?"  
"What?" Jamie bent down to see the Doctor who smiled,  
"I want you to go and find the other humans and get them out,"  
"What about you?" Sofia looked over at Jamie. She could tell he didn't like leaving the Doctor by himself. The Doctor motioned to the controls,  
"I'm going to try and prevent this ship from taking off for as long as possible,"  
"Well why can we not wait here with ye?"  
"Because there's no guarantee I'll be successful Jamie," the Doctor frowned,  
"I want you and Sofia to go and find the rest of the people on this ship then go straight back to the village. Straight back," he added for emphasis. Jamie opened his mouth but Sofia placed a hand on his arm,  
"Straight back. Got it,"  
"Thank you," the Doctor smiled as Sofia ushered Jamie from the room before he focused his attention on the controls.

The majority of wiring was a complete mess and the Doctor wondered how on earth the ship was able to fly without fault. Shaking his head he grasped at the wires and yanked them from the panel. Above him he could hear sparks flying from the controls and he gave a satisfied nod. Rubbing his hands and shifted to the left and rummaged around in his trouser pockets for a pair of pliers. Removing the panel cover the Doctor pulled down to thick wires; one black, one dark green. He tried to follow the path of the wires to see where they led but his fingers got caught in the mess above him. Grasping the green wire the Doctor bit his lip and shut his eyes as he clipped the wire. The silence that followed was the best sound he had ever heard. Congratulating himself the Doctor got to his feet and dusted himself down. The alarms had stopped and he could no longer hear the sound of the ships engines starting up. The lights on the controls panel had died and the Doctor clapped his hands and did a little dance,  
"Well done Doctor," he muttered, "Well done indeed,"  
His celebrations were cut short however as the control panel hisses and fresh sparks flew from it. Frowning he inched towards the controls before jumping back as thick black smoke began to rise from the panels,  
"Oh dear," he muttered sadly, "Oh dear,"  
Careful not to tread on any wires the Doctor slowly made his way away from the controls and towards the door. He reached out for the door panel and his hand brushed against something hard, and bulky. Eyes widening the Doctor slowly turned to see Bronx blocking his way. The Zygon lunged at the Doctor who fell backwards,  
"Doctor! What have you done?" Bronx roared as he grabbed the Doctor by his coat and hauled him to his feet. The warlord was so huge that he lifted the Doctor off the ground,  
"Oh no!" the Doctor cried out as he was dropped to the floor. Bronx ran to the smoking control panel and tried in vain to get it working. He howled as his hand landed on the now burning hot joystick. Clutching his already wounded arm he fixed his murderous gaze on the form of the Doctor who was edging slowly towards the door,  
"Doctor! You will not leave here alive!"  
Bronx threw himself at the Doctor and the pair rolled around on the floor. The Zygons strength clearly gave him the upper hand. However, the Doctor's size gave him far more agility. Sliding out from underneath Bronx the Doctor ran for the door. His hand brushed against the wall when he was yanked back as the Zygon gripped his ankle,  
"You will pay for this Doctor!"  
The room was now filled with smoke and the Doctor pressed his handkerchief to his face in an attempt to avoid breathing it in. Looking at Bronx he saw the Zygon give a hacking cough and his huge bulk slumped on the floor. Shaking his foot free the Doctor gazed at the now unconscious Zygon in pity,  
"Doctor? Doctor where are ye?"  
The Doctor smiled as Jamie grabbed him and hauled him from the room. The Scots eyes were watering from the smoke and when they were out in the corridor the Doctor glanced at him,  
"What about Sofia and the others?"  
"They're back at the village," Jamie coughed, "And Sofia waiting in the tunnel. I told her to go but she wouldn't have it,"

Clapping his friend on the back the Doctor allowed Jamie to pull him towards the exit. The smoke was now pouring into the main corridors and the Doctors heart soared as he saw the open trapdoor. Jamie linked his hand together to allow to the Doctor to climb up first. Pulling himself up the Doctor smiled as Sofia grabbed his arms and pulled him free. He bent over and coughed violently. Sofia was beside him in an instant,  
"Doctor!" she shook him gently, "Doctor are you alright?"  
He waved her concerns away and turned to Jamie who was pulling himself up,  
"Shut the trapdoor Jamie. There's a good fellow,"  
Sofia leant over to see thick black smoke, accompanied by the distinct smell of burning. As Jamie shut the trapdoor she stared at the Doctor,  
"What happened?"  
"No time for that now. Run!"  
The three ran from the tunnel. Sofia led the way as she tried to find the safest and quickest route down. Behind the still coughing Doctor was being helped along by Jamie,  
"Over there! Quickly!"  
"Wait…what?" Both Sofia and Jamie turned to see the Doctor dive for cover amongst a large patch of grass and shrubs. Jamie looked at Sofia before grabbing her hand and pulling her down beside the Doctor. Jamie nudged the Doctor,  
"What was all that about?"  
"You see Jamie," the Doctor propped himself up on his elbows, "I managed to prevent the ship from taking off. Unfortunately I damaged the controls rather badly and I'm afraid that the ship will…"  
His words were cut off as the waterfall in front of them exploded. Rocks and water flew into the air as clouds of thick smoke rose high into the sky. The Doctor and his friends covered their heads as smaller bits of rock rained down on them. As the dust slowly settled the Doctor looked up at the ruined landscape,  
"Explode," he said sadly. Jamie was the next to look up, followed by Sofia who shakily got to her feet as she looked at what had once been Storm Falls. She turned to the Doctor who gave her an apologetic smile,  
"I'm afraid Sofia…you're going to need a new waterfall."  
She shook her head, "But the Zygons are dead now? Right?" she looked at the Doctor who placed his hands together and nodded,  
"Oh yes…those ones certainly are,"  
"Do ye think they'll try and invade again?" Jamie asked. The Doctor shrugged,  
"After three failed attempts they might decide to give up," he then gave a slight, knowing smile,  
"On the other hand…I never like to make predictions."


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter Sixteen

The sun slowly broke through the cloudy sky as the Doctor, Jamie and Sofia sat on a wall outside the fish and chip shop. Sofia had insisted they celebrate and had ordered a jumbo sized portion of chips for them all to share. The Doctor had tucked in happily and after some hesitation Jamie too began to wolf down the food. Sofia smiled,  
"Best fish and chips you'll ever find round here. That's a promise,"  
"I don't doubt it," the Doctor grinned as he swung his legs against the wall. Sofia smiled as she watched him. However his own smile faded slightly as both he and Jamie finished the chips. The Doctor clapped his hands,  
"Well...we'd better be off I think,"  
"Already?" Sofia heart sank. The Doctor nodded sadly,  
"Yes. Places to go. Things to see three years before you've seen them,"  
"But…" Sofia didn't know what to say, "What about Matt and Jim?"  
The Doctor frowned and Sofia shook her head,  
"Aren't you going to say goodbye?"  
"Well…I'm afraid I don't really like goodbyes," the Doctor admitted.  
Sofia nodded and Jamie gave her a smile,  
"Don't worry about it lass. We might land here again in a few years' time. Or a few years ago," he added with a look at the Doctor. Sofia nodded slowly before a thought came to her. She had no idea if it was the right thing to do but she didn't care. Jumping down off the wall she looked at the pair,  
"Just…wait there a moment. I won't be long."  
Without giving her friends a chance to reply she ran off.

The Doctor looked out at the view. Gently patting the door of the Tardis he waited patiently for Jamie to join him. The Doctor looked at his friend,  
"I wanted to say goodbye to her as well Jamie,"  
Both the Doctor and Jamie had waited patiently for Sofia. However, after an hour had passed the Doctor had persuaded Jamie that they should go. He fished around for the Tardis key and slipped it into the lock. As the door opened just a crack the Doctor paused and looked over at Jamie,  
"What is it Doctor?"  
"Don't move Jamie," the Doctor whispered urgently, "We're being followed,"  
Jamie's hand lingered over his knife and the Doctor shook his head with a smile,  
"You won't be needing that Jamie," he turned around and raised his voice,  
"You can come out now Sofia,"  
Jamie stood by the Doctor and watched as Sofia got awkwardly to her feet and clambered out from behind the bush she had been hiding behind. She looked sheepishly at the Doctor,  
"How did you know?"  
He tapped his nose secretively and she smiled,  
"I was wondering…well I wanted to ask…if you didn't mind that is…"  
The Doctor looked at the rucksack on her back and the large bag by her feet. He smiled,  
"You want to come with us?"  
Sofia bit her lip and nodded, "Can I?"  
The Doctor paused. He placed his hands on her shoulders,  
"Sofia. Travelling with me…it's dangerous,"  
Sofia opened her mouth but the Doctor shook his head,  
"I don't just mean aliens…" he paused, "I'm on the run. From my own people,"  
Sofia rolled her eyes, "Doctor I'm not freaked out by the danger. Besides," she pointed at Jamie,  
"If it's not dangerous for him to come with you then…"  
The Doctor grinned. The girl wasn't going to give this up without a fight. It wasn't that he didn't want her to come. He liked Sofia a lot. But he wanted her to know what she was getting involved in,  
"One more thing. The Tardis navigational controls are a bit…unpredictable,"  
"Ye can say that again," Jamie muttered. The Doctor ignored him,  
"We have no idea where we will next land. I can't guarantee I could ever get you home again,"  
Sofia nodded sadly. She looked around at the view of the village behind her,  
"If I'm being honest…it was never really home for me,"  
The Doctor looked at her, "Are you sure?"  
As Sofia nodded the Doctor grinned, "Very well then,"  
"You mean I can come?"  
"Of course," the Doctor ran over to the doors of the Tardis and Sofia followed. Jamie laughed at the girl's expression as she took in the size of the ship,  
"Seriously. _That's_ your spaceship,"  
The Doctor had already gone inside however and Sofia shook her head as she followed,  
"I hope it's bigger than…"

Her bag clattered to the floor and her eyes widened as she looked at the huge controls room she now stood in. Everything was white. The walls, the floor. In the middle stood a hexagonal control panel with a large cylinder protruding out from the middle. The Doctor flicked a switch and the doors swung shut behind Sofia. Jamie grinned at the girl,  
"Well. What do you think?"  
"It's…I mean it's…it's bigger on the inside!" she looked at the Doctor, "How does it do that?"  
"Oh it's all very simple," the Doctor said as he worked the controls, "The Tardis is dimensionally transcendental,"  
"Meaning?"  
The Doctor shrugged, "Meaning it's bigger on the inside,"  
"Oh," Sofia shrugged her rucksack off her back and gaped at the sheer size of the room. This wasn't possible. None of this was possible. And yet here she was. Inside a spaceship that looked like a 1950's police call box. She shook her head before falling forward as she heard the sound of an engine. Looking up she saw the cylinder move up and down. The ship shuddered and Jamie grabbed her to stop her falling,  
"Don't worry lass. Ye get used to all of this,"  
She shook her head; "I still can't believe it. You guys travel in a ship that looks like a blue box and yet is _bigger on the inside_."  
The Doctor nodded. Evidently pleased with himself,  
"The Tardis allows me to travel through the universe of time,"  
"Well…" Jamie piped up, "I wouldn't say it _allows_ ye Doctor,"  
The Doctor frowned, "Please Jamie. I do wish you would stop referring to the Tardis navigational system. I can control it perfectly,"  
"Oh aye I'm sure ye can," Jamie said sweetly. The Doctor frowned,  
"I'm not going to try and prove it just to amuse you Jamie," he turned and smiled at Sofia,  
"Well then. Welcome aboard."

Author Note: Just wanted to thanks everyone who has taken the time to read this story. Special thanks to TimeLordPrime, Marta512 and Superwholock25 for following/favouring my story and thanks to Aragonite and A-D-E-E-E-R for reviewing it. It really means a lot to me and don't worry; the next chapter in The Chronicles of Gallifrey – Lost Warriors will be with you as soon as possible.


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